Futures
by Jennicula
Summary: Kate has always loved Harry Potter books, I mean, Jk Rowling is her God. What happens when she actually is a witch, and is going to Hogwarts? Magic.
1. The Letter

Kate glared at her suitcase angrily. Why were her parents making her move? She un-pinned several Harry Potter posters, and sighed. Kate had read all the Harry Potter books and seen all the movies. She sported a major crush on both Harry and Ron (a.k.a. Daniel and Rupert). If there was one good thing about this move, it was moving to London.Kate had always wanted to visit England. The simple idea of being that close to the non-existent realm of Harry Potter made her happy. She double-checked her room with another sigh and lugged her, well, luggage, down the stairs. Her parents were waiting patiently for her to finish moving out of her room so that they could head to the airport.

Kate's parents were moving to London for some special business thing, and they were bringing Kate along. At least, that's what Kate believed.

Kataline Jenica McGregor (a.n. pronounced kat-uh-LEEN : JEH-nih-cuh : mic-GREG-or)was definitely not perfect. Her hair was nice enough; she certainly had plenty of it, it was wavy and brown. Pretty shiny, actually. She had dark brown eyes that were mistaken for black upon occasion. Full lips, ok nose, pointed chin, and normal ears. 5'10" (which she thought was unreasonably tall), ok body, big feet. She always critiqued herself for some reason.

They put all their stuff into the trunk and began driving to the airport. They munched on Burger King before heading to the terminal. Once there, they waited (and waited, and waited) until they boarded the plane for the long, long flight to England. It was rather uneventful, but Kate was able to finish her book. It was about this group of kids that was morphed with avian DNA (a.n. Maximum Ride is the BEST! Besides HP, of course). She "Why are you so happy?" her mother asked. Kate seemed to be all grins and little sighs. "I just can't wait to get to England. I might even pick up the accent!" she replied. "I'm not all giggles though, I am a bit worried about new friends and stuff… I'm treading new territory, and I'm happy about it, just a little anxious," said Kate.

It was a satisfactory answer for her mother, who nodded and turned away.

The truth is Kate was absolutely ecstatic about going to England. It was absolutely the best place to move to. Kate plugged in her headphone and flipped through XM for some new songs. She was excited to see what London was going to be like.

Eight Hours Later

Rainy. London was rainy. And gray.

"Man, this is just _great _weather to arrive to."

Mr. McGregor put all the stuff into a taxi and grinned. "Kataline, I know it's not perfect now, but London will blossom for you, I promise."

Their apartment building looked great, even in the rain. Big balconies, tons of windows and a welcoming staff greeted them at McCartney Blvd. Kate thought about the new apart—_flat_. Kate wanted to make sure she understood and was comfortable with all the different Briticisms, her term for the wacky things Brits say that no one else does. She got to work immediately, and unpacked her stuff into her dresser. Her room was rather small, but had nice flooring and a comfy bed. It could use some new paint, and posters (of course!), and maybe a beanbag chair in the corner. Kate loved refurbishing things, and made a point of listing the stuff she wanted to buy. She opened her closet, to discover it was a walk-in with a… window seat! _Oh my God, I have MY OWN window seat_, Kate proceeded to jump around in teenage-girly-ness.

Kate took the stuff out of the dresser and put them into the closet, rationalizing that folding clothes gives them reasons, and changing places for her enjoyment of parading into her walk-in closet(!) every morning was not snobbish, just nice. _And being sarcastic isn't bitchy, it's just PMS, _said Ophelia dryly. Ophelia was Kate's inner voice. Kate figured that if she had to listen to the crap, she might as well name whatever it's coming from. Kate finished up and went to sleep.

Two Weeks Later

Kate loved school. Her new friends were really curious about America, and taught her all about Briticisms, along with other stuff. So bright and early, she was having great dreams. Ron had just begin to lean in and…

"WAKE UP _NOW_!" Mrs. McGregor shouted. _Even on Saturdays… _Ophelia grumbled. Kate pulled on an old tee shirt and jeans and headed down stairs.

"Ok, breakfast is waffles, bacon and cereal. What do you want?"

"Just cereal Mom, it's too early for anything else."

"Oh please, it's 9:30."

"It would be like 4:00 in Ohio!"

"Oh my _God_, the world will end!"

This friendly banter happened every Saturday morning, even in Ohio. Kate gave up, grinning, and ate her breakfast. She read fanfics and did homework for a few hours, then yelled to her mom "Going to get the mail, be back in five!"

"Okay, say hi to Jack for me!"

Kate grinned again, this time from dry humor. Mrs. McGregor never got the doorman's name right. _And when I say never, I mean NEVER. It's always Jack or John or something… _Kate grinned, agreeing with Ophelia.

She went to get the mail, and said hello to _Jerry_ and headed back upstairs. Once back in her flat, she went through the letters. Bills, advertisements (a.n. which I DO pronounce the English way), and business letters passed by, and then… a HUGE envelope with this written on it:

Ms. Kataline McGregor

138 McCartney Blvd. Apt. 816

London, England

She froze up and slowly turned the letter over, _This can't be… it's not real! _At this point she was visibly shaking. She looked at the back of the letter, where a wax seal depicted a lion, eagle, badger, and snake with a big H on it.

"OH MY FRIGGING _GOOOOODD_!!!!"

Mrs. McGregor rushed to the foyer, squeaked, and ran back out. She came back with Mr. McGregor and pointed at Kate. Kate was still in shock. Her parents slowly pulled her to the dining room and sat her down.

"Mom, Dad, did you know about this?" Kate squeaked, her eyes never leaving the letter. "Yes, sweetie, that's why we moved here. We were told about this great school from you counselor, she recommended we come here to help you. We never knew it was Hogwarts," Kate's dad ran a hand through his balding hair, his face etched in disbelief.

"So, this, this miracle, isn't a joke?"

"Nope, you're an actual witch."

"OH MY GOD!"

Kate ripped open her letter and scanned the first page. "I'm an actual witch… I get a wand… I wear _robes_… I make _potions_! I'm a magical being, I can make people turn into statues, I AM A WITCH!" "Well, Kate, tell me how you really feel," Mrs. McGregor said sarcastically.

"Har Har Mom. I need to go to… Diagon Alley," here she moaned in anticipation, "to get my stuff. This is going to be the best year ever."

Ron hurried down the stairs, his stomach rumbling. It didn't take much for Ron to get hungry nowadays. With even more growth spurts, Quidditch, and rough-housing with brothers, he had grown into a 6'5" athlete. His hair almost brushed the ceilings now. _Now if only I could find a girl that was tall enough _(a.n. hint hint) _for me. _He loaded his plate with the eggs, bacon, ham, toast, and potatoes Mrs. Weasley cooked. Hey, he couldn't help it if his mom was a brilliant chef. He ate quickly, which was pretty much inhaling the food to a normal person. An owl flew in and dropped a packet of letters on the table, grabbed some bacon, and flew off again.

"Mum, Hogwarts letters are here now," Ginny shouted. Mrs. Weasley tottered (a.n. I love that word, tottered) in and waved her wand. The individual envelopes flew to their corresponding Weasley. "Mum, I probably need some new robes when we go to Diagon Alley," Ron said. "Yes, I know, another growth spurt. And Ginny finally is getting some curves, might as well buy some robes for her," Mrs. Weasley sighed.

Ginny turned bright red at this and mumbled something that sounded like "Thanks for telling the world, Mum".

"Well, honestly sweetie, it's perfectly _normal_," Mrs. Weasley said. Ron sniggered and then coughed when his mother fixed him with a glare. "Ronald Weasley, I can mention some things I'm sure _you _don't want the world to know," hissed Ginny. Ron thought about last nights dream, where there were slave girls, blushed, and replied, "Sorry Gin, I didn't mean it."

Discussions for this morning included the newest broomsticks (Nimbus 2900 vs. Firebolt Extreme, which one is better?), Quidditch (where Ron and Fred battled the Cannons and Falcons), and Hogwarts (where a simultaneous "Malfoy is a huge git" rung the house). Ginny won over the broomsticks, saying the Firebolt had not only an invisibility booster and comfort seat (the accommodations of a Nimbus), but a compass and heated handle. Fred won over the Quidditch argument, saying the Falcons had invented a new formation that neutralized any hope of the opponent getting the Quaffle.

Ron cleaned up the plates and waved his wand at the sink, immediately cleaning the dishes. He then waved his wand in an intricate pattern, drying and sorting the dishes into their appropriate places.

"Aw, Ron, you'll make a great housewife, wouldn't he George?"

"Yes, he would Fred, a regular Betty Crocker."

"How'd you know what Betty Crocker was," asked Ron, ignoring the insults.

"We set up dungbombs in" "a grocery store; saw some muggle" "stuff."

Fred and George always had the ability to finish each others sentences. It got very annoying.

Afterwards, Ron headed upstairs to change out of his pajamas and into a tee shirt and shorts (a.n. it IS summer, even for wizards!), and put some galleons in his pocket. He went back downstairs just in time to watch Ginny throw Floo Powder into the fireplace and say, "Diagon Alley!" The Weasley family continued this line, until it was Ron's turn. He grabbed some of the green stuff that he thought smelled like vanilla and shouted, "DIAGON ALLEY!"


	2. Diagon Alley

Kate was in the Leaky Cauldron, about to go to _Diagon Alley, _talking to Tom, the bartender. She was about as excited as a little kid going on the big ride. Tom led them around back and opened Diagon Alley. "First, ye'll need to stop by Gringotts, to get yersel' some money. Then ye'll get ter explore a bit," Tom explained as he led the way. "And mind yer pockets, we ha' some ruffians 'round 'ere."

The McGregors thanked Tom and headed toward the huge stone building. Whilst there, they met goblins and exchanged their money for heavy coins. Mr. and Mrs. McGregor gave Kate a conversion chart (5 knuts to a sickle, 9 sickles to a galleon) and a pocketful of money. "Explore, sweetie, and meet us at Florean's in a few hours," said Kate's mom. Kate grinned and ran to the quill shop, Hogwarts list in hand.

She bought several regular quills, a multicolored quill, an erasable quill with an included eraser, and a self inking quill. She bought two pots of black ink, one pot of red ink, and one pot of purple/blue/green ink. She liked odd things. She also bought a package of parchment (100 rolls per pack, for the writer of the family!). She put all of this in a green book bag and checked out.

Next, she ran to the apothecary. She grabbed a basket and began perusing her list. She checked things off with her self inking quill, and gasped at some of the items. "How do you manage to obtain Minotaur saliva, won't the Minotaur kill you first?" she murmured to herself.

"Domesticated Minotaur are quite friendly, if you speak Minotaurian," said a voice behind her. She turned around to face a tall redhead. He had a long fringed haircut, bright blue eyes, and _great _lips. "Interesting…" said Kate. She stuck out her hand. "Kate McGregor, muggle-born, and ex-American," she intoned drolly. "Ron Weasley, pure-blood, and born Brit," he shook her hand. His hands were so nice; they were big and calloused, but were gentle enough to be soothing to anyone, and he was—Ron Weasley?!

Kate paled. "Ron…. Weasley… best friend of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, resident potty-mouth of Hogwarts," she whispered. "Erm… yeah, I guess," he replied, "how'd you know?" "Oh, overheard some people," lied Kate. She was actually talking to Ron Weasley. THE Ron Weasley; the one she dreamt of so many nights…

"Anyway, would you like a guide around Diagon Alley," said Ron.

"I'd absolutely love a guide; this place is huge." Ron grinned and led Kate to the checkout.

"Ok, where have you been," inquired Ron. "Quibley's Quills and the apothecary, and Gringotts," replied Kate. "Ok, Madam Malkin's next? She owns the--" "robe shop, yeah, sounds great." Ron glanced at Kate curiously. "Say, Kate, how'd you know that?" "Um… I saw it earlier," Kate hated lying to Ron Weasley, her crush of two years, but she didn't know how much else was true from the books.

Madam Malkin was a plump witch with curly brown hair and kind eyes. "Do both of you need robes?" Both teens replied "Yes," simultaneously. They both grinned at each other, then at Madam Malkin. The elder witch's grin grew as she led them to the Hogwarts department.

Ron and Kate both immediately headed towards the tall section. Ron pulled out two different robes, and Kate found several. They both went to the dressing rooms and tried them on. They were a bit like dresses, you pulled them on and off over your head, and they had loose sleeves. Kate pulled on a robe and walked out to the mirrors. Ron was already there, looking at himself from different angles.

"Like, oh my gosh, like, those fit you, like, perfectly!" Kate gasped with an obvious affectedness. Ron laughed and replied, "Totally!" Both burst into laughter that drew over Madam Malkin. She grinned and said, "Well aren't you two cozy." Kate and Ron abruptly stopped and blushed.

Madam Malkin chuckled and said, "I was just kidding, darlings, you're ok." Kate blushed again, but visibly relaxed. Madam Malkin inspected them both and deemed Ron's robe good, but to Kate she critiqued, "The hem is too short and you need a more formfitting robe, sweetheart. You're a teenager!" Ron coughed a bit and murmured that he'd just wait on her where he was. "Thanks, be back in a few," Kate called, blushing yet again, as Madam Malkin rushed her back to the dressing rooms. 

Two robes later, she managed to find one that Madam Malkin thought suitable. She walked out to Ron and spun a bit. "Well Kate, you spin quite nicely but I didn't see the robe, so stop," Ron said exasperatedly. Kate stopped spinning and giggled out, "Sorry, it's so flowy and stuff, not like jeans…"

Ron looked confused, "What are jeans?"

"They're a muggle thing, and they're awesome. I'm wearing them under this robe." "Ok, I'll see them later then."

"So, back to the robe, what do you think?" Ron looked at the robe and grinned at Kate, "looks good to me, let's go get you a wand!" "…a wand? Ohmigod I'm getting a wand…"

Kate and Ron bought the robes and headed to Ollivander's. They entered the shop and looked around. Suddenly they heard a sound behind them and Ollivander appeared.

"Mr. Weasley, you had the 14" cherry with unicorn hair, correct?" "Erm, yeah thanks," Ron replied confusedly. "And… Ms. McGregor, I presume," asked Ollivander knowingly.

"Yes, but how did you know? I'm a muggleborn," Kate smiled uncertainly. "Yes, yes, I know. Try this," said Ollivander, pulling a thin box out of a random shelf. "It's a 13" mahogany with dragon heartstring. Excellent at Defense Against the Dark Arts. Give it a wave," said Ollivander enthusiastically.

"You really enjoy your work," said Kate, giving the wand a wave. Green and red sparks flew out and spun around Kate before disappearing.

"Lovely, you did perfectly dear; you will definitely change the future with this wand."

"What did you just say?" asked Kate. "Nothing, Ms. McGregor, nothing."

Kate and Ron left the store after buying the wand, and headed to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. The place was thriving; there was a line at least ten people long. Kate glanced down the line before asking dryly, "Is the place _always_ like this?"

"Yeah, especially during the summer. Half of Florean's customers are Hogwarts students." Kate grinned, "I still can't believe there really is magic. I've always been able to make things happen, but I never really thought it was magic. In all honesty, I thought it was mice, hiding and pushing things around." Ron laughed outright at this.

They finally made it to the front of the line. Ron immediately ordered the Double Chocolate Chip Fudge double cone. Kate stared at the very long list of ice cream flavours and said quickly "yeah, what he got…" Ron chuckled and took the ice creams. He led her to a table and began asking her about what she knew of magical culture. He thought he could teach her about some basics, maybe lead her into admiring his supreme intellect—not for any particular reason… of course… just to… yeah… Ron shook himself out of his troubled thoughts and listened to Kate:

"Well, there's Harry Potter for one thing. There's Voldemort," Ron shuddered at this, "Um… Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. There's Malfoy, who's a freak, Crabbe and Goyle who are dunderheads… You, Hermione, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape… Everything."

"How the bloody hell did you know all that?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Erm… Books!"

"But you just got to the magical world, how would you know? And where are me and Hermione in any books?!"

"In lots of books Ronald, and it's 'Hermione and I'." Kate said, grinning.

"Yeah, right, whatever. Do you like the ice cream? I think Florean's is the best, but everyone prefers Hogwarts'," said Ron uncertainly. Ron wanted to please Kate, partly because he saw a new friend in light, and because she was still a mystery to him.

"This is honestly the _best _ice cream I've ever had, but let me taste Hogwarts' before I compare the two. It would be unfair to Hogwarts the other way," Kate replied.

Ron smiled at Kate and agreed to her terms. _What a great smile… _Ophelia sighed. Kate felt the same way.

Kate and Ron finished their ice cream and Kate told Ron her parents were at Florean's.

"Could I meet them? I've never actually met Yanks before." At Kate curious glance, Ron quickly said "Yanks are Americans, you know…" Kate grinned and said "I know what Yanks are; I was just surprised you wanted to meet my parents, that's all." She led Ron to a couple and introduced them all.

"Mom, Dad, this is Ron Weasley," at this bit her parents' eyes widened, "Ron, this is Mom and Dad."

Her parents did much better at disguising their surprise. Mrs. McGregor smiled charmingly and said, "Call me Mindy and him Hungry. Just kidding, he's Pete."

Ron laughed at this and replied, "Ok. D'you like Florean's?"

"It's great. I got some kind of peanut butter toffee thing. It kept squeaking 'Eat me'! I was really confused for a minute. I ate some and it giggled. Best ice cream I ever had," Mr. McGregor concluded happily.

"Talking Toffee, on of Florean's best sellers. I personally can't stand my food talking to me. Make me feel cannibalistic," Ron informed everyone. Kate concurred, "That would be weird. Anyway, would you all like to head back to the Leaky Cauldron? I want to try butterbeer!"

Kate's parents nodded and Ron earnestly nodded (a.n. there IS a difference!). On the way, Ron told them that butterbeer wasn't really alcoholic. It just gave you a warm feeling that many associate to drinking. Firewhiskey was the one to look (out) for.

They got to the Leaky Cauldron and ordered their drinks. The place was dark, but fairly clean. The butterbeer was undeniably smooth, and _really_ sweet. Kate loved it. Her parents, however, did not. They grimaced and went to get firewhiskey.

Ron grinned, "If they want burn and no sugar, they'll get it from that stuff. I tried it once; Fred and George brought some home from a party. It really, _really _burns. You end up coughing up a lung." He imitated coughing, then started pounding his chest. Kate broke into peals of laughter.

Ron stopped coughing to listen to her laughs. They weren't tinkling of musical at all. They sounded like they were really coming from a human, deep and throaty. He liked them a lot better than the little giggles Lavender gave off. Those shrill things bothered him… a lot.

Kate finally stopped wheezing and replied, "You have never tried an atomic fireball, have you?"

"No."

"Try it," she handed him a little red ball in plastic. He popped the whole thing into his mouth. Kate laughed again and said, "You have to take the plastic off first!" So _that_ was why he couldn't taste it… He took the thing out of his mouth, pulled off the plastic, and stuck the ball back in. It was pretty good, but then it got _really _spicy. He spit it out and took a long gulp of soothing butterbeer. Kate grinned and intoned, "Told you so".

Kate's mom and dad came back with two small glasses of red fluid. Her mom looked conspiratorially at her and whispered, "Dip your finger in and try it… It's like nothing before…" Kate grinned and stuck her finger in. The digit tingled a bit at contact. She smiled again and stuck her finger in her mouth. The liquid burned her tongue, but it tasted great. It had a smoky-ness that captured the essence of fire.

They chatted for a bit, talked about Ohio and American football. Ron had an interest in this, and Kate promised to get one before Hogwarts started. She really wanted to see him without a shirt, running on sunny grass to catch the football. She had just pictured his abs as he got the ball when— "Kate, what are you doing?" Kate shook her head to clear her mind and looked around. One hand was holding up her head, while the other was stroking the table.

She sheepishly grinned at Ron, "Sorry. My mind goes everywhere sometimes."

"Yeah, right, sure, whatever. Just… don't get the table too excited. It might jump you or something." The table was perfectly normal, thank you very much. Kate giggled and replied, "Yeah, cause it's just jumping around in ecstasy…" Kate's mom and dad laughed at this. Mr. McGregor recovered first and informed, "Anyway, we'd best go. Kate needs to get all her beauty sleep."

Kate swatted her dad and told Ron, "Owl me sometime. It'd be nice to keep in touch before school starts. If you need an address, it's 138 McCartney Boulevard, apartment 816. Sounds weird, I'm sure, but Pig'l find it."

Ron stared at her, "More of the mysterious knowledge… Must figure that out. Yeah, I'll write. Bye." He walked back into Diagon Alley in search of his family.


	3. Kate's Flat

Ron headed back to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Fred and George were busy, as usual, but not nearly as much as they had been earlier. Ron walked up to Fred, who was helping a customer, and asked, "Need help behind the counter?" "Sounds great," Fred replied over his shoulder. Ron walked to the back of the store to the counter.

The twins' smaller goods were here, along with some receipts and the cash drawer. He pulled out his button and stuck it on his shirt. The button clearly said, "Hi! My name's Ron!" Ron hated it, but he never said anything. He wasn't really supposed to work, so he wore the stupid thing on the off chance the twins might tell Mum if he didn't.

He rang out people buying Puking Pastilles, Mesmerizing Mints (Let your voice be sexy and minty, Mesmerizing Mints!), and assorted goods. Fred finally sold Pygmy Puffs to two little girls and joined him behind the counter.

"So, Ron, what's up? Got your Hogwarts stuff?"

"Yes I got the new robes, and I met this girl…"

"Did I hear our Ronniekins say he met a girl, Fred? Awww." George joined the two behind the counter.

Ron punched George on the arm. "She's a muggleborn. She has a great sense of humor, and _great _hair…" he blushed and continued, "Erm, she's coming to Hogwarts, and she's my year. She's brilliant." Fred and George both laughed.

"The only thing is, she knows things that she couldn't. She knows about Harry, me, Hermione, You-Know-Who, Hogwarts, _you _two. She knows a lot about the magical world, but she won't tell me where from. She just says, 'books'"

George grinned, "Ooooh, mysterious! I like her already, you Fred?"

"Already consider a part of the family, George." Both cracked identical wicked grins. Ron turned bright red. "We just met! We're friends!" Ron cried indignantly, brow furrowed. Fred and George chuckled and led an upset Ron to the Floo.

"Go home, Ron. Think it over, and come back later," said George.

"But I'm fine! We're friends. I'll owl her, we'll see each other at Hogwarts, that stuff. Like I do with Hermione. BLOODY FRIENDS!" At this, the entire store silenced and stared at Ron. He turned bright red and mumbled, "I'll just go home anyway…" He grabbed a bit of powder and threw it into the fireplace.

"The Burrow!"

He came back to chaos, which was completely normal for the Burrow after a Diagon Alley trip. Ginny was twirling through the house in new robes. Mr. Weasley was experimenting with a new piece of… something… he found at Muggle Mania. Mrs. Weasley was cooking, as usual. Ron had just taken a step forward when Fred came out the Floo with Ron's bags in tow.

"Ickle Ronniekins was so wound up about the girl that he forgot all his baggies," Fred chirped wickedly.

Everything in the house stopped. Ginny quit twirling and fell over from dizziness. After she had picked herself up, she gaped at Ron. Mr. Weasley looked up from his gadget in wonder. Mrs. Weasley ran from the kitchen and gasped.

The last was the first to recover. "That's simply wonderful, Ron! What House is she?"

Ginny was still in shock, and Mr. Weasley managed to shake himself out of his stupor.

"Now Molly, it doesn't matter what House she is! Ron has good judgment, don't you Ron?"

Ron looked around, and burst out laughing. The passerby might even go to lengths in saying he was laughing hysterically."We are not anything but friends. I met her in a shop, showed her around, and she told me to owl her sometime! And I don't know her House, she's from the States!" he managed between laughs.

Everyone but Ron blinked several times. "You fancy a Yank?!" Fred asked incredulously. "I don't fancy her. We're friends!"

Everyone in the house shrugged and resumed their activities. Fred grinned and Flooed back to the shop. Ron headed upstairs to pack his new stuff into his trunk. After that, he sat down and began writing a letter.

HPHPHPHPHP

Kate and her parents went back to Muggle London, where they proceeded to taxi their way back to the flat. Kate's mind was in overload, thinking about all the new stuff she'd learned. Ron was her year, which was the beginning of her sixth, so the series extends into the future year (a.n. at this point, book six is out). Kate quickly assessed the situation. She'd most likely be in Gryffindor, and she'd be a Mudblood to Slytherins. Great.

When Kate got home she headed to her room and packed her stuff into her trunk. There was a trunk store in Diagon Alley, and her trunk was complete with potion storage and separators between books and clothes. Kate laid down on her bed and thought more. It was all true. Everything was true; Harry Potter, Hogwarts, Voldemort… It was totally out of this world. Kate remembered when she was younger, and more naïve...

_Kate finished the last chapter of _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_. She thought about Hogwarts as she got ready for bed. She knew that when she was eleven, she was going to get a letter. She just knew it._

_A few years later, Kate was eagerly awaiting August, when her Hogwarts letter was going to come. August came and passed. September first came with tears, lots and lots of tears. She was so sure she would get the letter, and it never came. Everyone had lied._

Kate grinned, remembering the feeling of remorse. Now she knew it _was _true. She thought of Ron. He was even better looking in real life, better than Rupert! She knew most girls didn't go for the open expressions, they preferred the brooding types, but she liked the wide grins and such. And he was the perfect height, tall enough to hug round the middle, short enough to be human.

Just then, Kate heard a clicking at her window. She opened it to reveal a small owl, brown and hyper.

"Hello, Pig! Come on, get in here!"

Pig flew in and hovered around Kate's head. She untied the letter from his leg and sent him to the water bowl she'd set up. She undid the leather strap and opened the parchment. She inspected the handwriting for several minutes before making out what Ron had wrote.

_Kate,_

_Everyone here is mad. I've confirmed it, they are all barking mad. When I Floo'ed home, Ginny was spinning, then fell over _(Kate snorted)_. Anyway, you probably know Pig, and his activities. I WILL figure out how you know this stuff, soon. Do you have a fireplace? Dad can get it hooked up to the Floo Network, so my family can meet yours and such. I'm bloody terrible at writing letters, so I'll end here. Owl your reply soon!!!_

_Madly,_

_Ron_

Kate laughed at the salutation. "Madly," _I'll bet_, piped in Ophelia. She went to her trunk at pulled out a quill, her multi-colored ink (might as well be fun about it), and a roll of parchment. She unrolled it and was shocked by the length. She'd always thought parchment rolls would be three feet long, but they were actually about half that. She made a mental note to buy lots more parchment and got about writing the letter.

_Dear Ron,_

_I'm truly sympathetic, I feel for you! Yes, I recognized Pig. Very friendly; he seems to like my hair. You shall never find out!!!! (Laughs evilly: MWAHAA) NEVER!!!!!!!! Yes, I have a fireplace and my parents won't mind (and if they do, who cares?). I'm sending a list of phrases that Muggle kids use that you will no doubt see me write._

_LOL: basically laughing, or I find something funny. Literally means Laugh Out Loud_

_ASAP: As Soon As Possible (you probably know that one)_

_I'll tell you more when I can think of more. I want to be in the Wizarding World right now (whines)!!! Muggle London is really boring, compared to Diagon Alley!_

_Owl back ASAP,_

_Kate_

Kate tied her letter with the strap, and coaxed Pig over. He flew straight to her hair, where he immersed himself in the golden-y strands. He hooted joyfully and rolled around. Kate grinned despite the tug, and extricated the owl out. She held him in one hand, stroked him with the other, saying "My hair isn't a toy. Could you take this back to Ron for me, please?"

She tied the letter onto the outstretched leg, smiled gratefully, and sent the owl on his way. She lay back down on her bed and grinned. So he wanted to see her again… Spiffy. This was going to be an awesome month, she knew it.

A few days later, Kate was eating breakfast in the dining room. Her parents had gone out for groceries and household stuff. Pig flew in from the open window. He perched on the handle of the jug of juice. He proffered the scroll, flapping his wings a bit for balance. Kate untied the scroll hurriedly and opened it. It was today that Ron promised the Floo up and running. Kate finished breakfast, giving Pig some toast, and went to play around on the Internet. She had just logged on to a gaming site when she heard a rush of wind in the foyer. She ran to investigate; there was no window in the foyer (and even if there was, it would be closed).

Ashes covered the floor (thank goodness it was hardwood), and a battered Ron stood beside the hearth. "Erm, hey." He took a look around, examining random objects. "So this is a Muggle place? Looks a bit posh to me."

"Yeah, my parents are into the whole style thing. I personally prefer an armchair and book. And music, I have to have music."

"Ok, well I was sent to introduce you to the family, even though you'll probably know them. Here they come now," Ron said this all awkwardly, as all his speech had been. It was disconcerting for Kate, but she shrugged it off. A man came out of the fireplace, showering the floor with more ashes.

"This is my dad, Arthur Weasley. Works at the Department of Muggle Artifacts, 'course you knew that." Arthur Weasley glared reprovingly at his son, "You shouldn't say that Ron. It's impolite."

"Mr. Weasley, I eat polite for breakfast and it does absolutely no good. Kate McGregor, and yes, I do know a lot about your world. Ron was just acknowledging that." She grinned at Ron, who smiled back gratefully. More people began popping out of the fireplace. A plump woman, then a thin girl, then two identical young men. "Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Gred with his everlasting bane Forge," Kate broke into a grin as she recited all this. The married Weasleys stared at her in shock, looking quite similar to Ron in Florean's. Ginny giggled nervously, and the twins cracked wide grins.

"A girl of our mind, isn't she Gred?" "Of course, Forge, she knew our names!"

"Brilliant," They both said.

Kate laughed as all the Weasleys (except Fred and George) rolled their eyes. The twins flashed her with charming smiles and asked to be given a tour. Kate replied, "Of course, sorry, this way." She led them around the flat. "This is our dining room, kitchen, living room, bathroom, and down that hall are the bedrooms. Mine's the one with the poster.

"But… the poster's not moving!" Ginny spoke up. "And who's 'Fall Out Boy'? That one guy's great looking!" She moved closer to the door, inspecting the picture in earnest. "His name is Pete Wentz. Current rocker-hottie of America. Does nothing for me." Kate shrugged.

Mrs. Weasley tittered, "Ginny, it's not polite to do that. Come back here!"

"Mrs. Weasley, as I said to your husband, I really don't care about etiquette. Explore, play, do whatever you please. If you're interested in a bit of technology, don't refrain form asking, et cetera." The Weasleys broke formation and began gazing at things. Fred and George glanced inquiringly at the TV and beckoned Kate over.

"Is this a Phellyvision?" Fred asked.

"_Tele_vision, and yes it is. You use this control to change settings. This is power, these are for looking through channels, which are different programs, and this is volume." Kate turned on, flipped through, and raised/lowered according to what she was saying. George took the remote and the twins sat on the sofa, intrigue in their eyes.

Ginny walked up to Kate and said, "Could I hear some of this Fall Out Boy music? They look really good." Kate nodded and brought Ginny into her room. Ron followed, having nothing better to do. Kate showed them CD player, the CD, and headphones. Brother and sister had identical thoughtful expressions on.

"Ok, you slide this on like a headband, and the foamy parts should cover your ears. This end you put into this hole in the CD player. Now, you push this button to open the player." She pressed the open button to pop the lid, and the siblings gasped. Kate chuckled at this, continuing, "You put the disc on here, so the knobby thing goes through that hole, and close the lid. You press this button and the player turns on, and you hear the music!"

She handed the player and headset to Ginny, and sat on her bed. Ron walked over to her desk and poked her laptop. "What's this?" Kate picked up her laptop and introduced the two. "Ron, this is my laptop. It is one of the most technological things you will ever see." He began to talk when she said, "Don't ask me to explain it, we'd be here all day." He closed his mouth and nodded.

Kate set the laptop back down and took him to her window seat closet. He sat down and looked at the cars below.

"What the bloody hell kinda world is this?" Ron asked.

"A complex one you might not ever have to face. Those things are cars, you know that. They're a bit more modern than the Anglia, I should think."

"Oh yeah, how do you know all that stuff? I _will _tickle you if you don't tell me," Ron threatened.

"I'm not ticklish," said Kate with a straight face. Ron assessed her expression and wiggled his fingers a bit. A ghost of a smile could now be seen on Kate's face. Ron grinned and began tickling her ruthlessly. Kate shrieked in laughter, rolling away, falling to the floor, and trying to protect her stomach and feet from the assault. Ron leapt on her and continued, under her arms, on her stomach, and generally everywhere. Kate was gasping for air at this point.

This was a deception. She stopped gasping and smiled evilly, tickling Ron right back. He shouted out, then began giggling uncontrollably. He managed to grab her arms and tug them a bit. She fell directly on top of him, both teens taking gulps of air.

Ron smiled again as he took in her beauty. Her face was completely flushed, her hair a mess, and her eyes bright. Absolutely gorgeous. He leaned up, shortening the space between them. Kate closed her eyes, and—Ginny rushed in the closet door, looking around wildly. She saw them and blushed, mumbling, "Heard shouts, sorry…"

Kate and Ron became acutely aware of their position and sprang apart. Ron's face flushed as he quickly said something about not doing anything. Kate nodded emphatically to agree. Ginny slyly grinned at the two and nodded slowly, "Sure you were…"

Ron scowled and Kate blushed once more. Both left the closet, leaving Ginny to think…

Kate headed into the living room to see Fred and George watching Martha Stewart in complete awe. George was muttering, "She never says how much stuff though, does she?" Fred looked at George strangely and said, "Who cares? She's crazy!"

Kate smiled and found Mr. Weasley examining a plug. "Mr. Weasley, I can give you some Muggle stuff if you want." He smiled and replied, "I'd love to, but Molly'd throw a fit. It's for the better, I guess."

Kate smiled and said, "Well, enjoy our technology here then. When my parents get back, we might be able to show you round Muggle London."

Kate found Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen, inspecting the blender. She pushed a button labeled "frappe" and jumped comically into the air when the blender whirred. Kate pushed the off button and explained the function of it, as well as several other appliances. She guided Mrs. Weasley to sit down with the twins, who were amazingly still watching the TV, only some cartoon was on now. They were grinning and laughing at the right moments, and sometimes shaking their heads.

Mr. and Mrs. McGregor walked in the door just then. Both laden with bags, they stopped at the sight of the Weasleys in their apartment. Kate and Ron (who had been observing Kate's dealings with Mrs. Weasley) rushed to help unload the couple. Kate's parents smiled gratefully before greeting the Weasley brood. Mr. Weasley dragged himself from the socket to meet them, and the twins turned off the TV. Kate went into her room to find Ginny dancing to a song, CD player in hand. Kate waved her arms around to get the younger's attention. Ginny blushed and put the player on the bed.

"You have good music."

"Well, I'd like to think so…"

The red-haired girl grinned, before running to meet the newcomers. Soon everyone was acquainted, and the troop headed out, because there was almost no space left in the flat. They had to fit into two separate elevators. The kids (Ron, Kate, Ginny, Twins) in one, and the adults (Parents) in the other. Ron insisted on pressing all the buttons from eight through one, claiming, "How is the thing supposed to know where to go if you don't make a path?" Fred and George laughed. The twins had made several brave voyages into Muggle London, and had found out all about certain technologies, such as elevators and escalators.

Kate grinned and replied, "They just do. So I was thinking first stop is a Muggle shop, so you can get some jeans." Ron grinned and eyed the denims Kate was wearing. Kate smirked, "Next is food, then ice cream, and some more shopping. Don't act over-excited or anything; be inconspicuous. I think that's it."

The Weasley children nodded, anticipation on their faces. When they finally left floor 2 and hit floor 1, they met up with the adults, and headed out of the complex. Kate glanced at the redheads and intoned, "Keep _away _from the fast moving objects. They're pretty, but mean." The twins laughed, and the rest nodded like obedient puppies. _Interesting analogy_, mused Ophelia. Kate sighed; this was going to be an interesting trip.


	4. Muggleville

The group formed a sort of line. Kate and Ron led, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley behind them, Ginny behind them, the twins behind her, and Mr. and Mrs. McGregor bringing up the rear. They couldn't take taxis, there were too many people, so they walked a few blocks to the clothes shop. People looked at the Weasleys oddly, because of the robes, and the twins flipped off a few people because they were snickering. The people abruptly stopped and flipped back.

When they reached the store, Kate led the kids to the teen department, and her parents took the Wizarding couple to the adult section. The twins went to young men's, already knowing how to shop Muggle-style. Ginny and Ron followed Kate around, and when she held up something Ginny liked, she put it in the basket. After a few items had been added, Kate told Ginny to try the stuff on. Ron found several t-shirts and jeans he liked, and went to try that stuff on.

Kate found a t-shirt that proudly said, "I am THE coolest person in this room." and ran to the dressing room. Ginny was checking out herself in a mirror. The jeans were frayed at the bottom, and had a large hole at the knee. Her top was embellished in patterns. It was beyond cool. Kate grinned, "I _like_. Here's some money, buy it." Ginny began to protest, but Kate cut her off, "It's a discount store, you can pay me back later, _go_." Ginny beamed and ran to the checkout.

Kate chuckled, then squeaked as a large hand fell on her shoulder. "Boo," a soft voice whispered in her ear. She spun around to face Ron. "You scared the hell out of me! This is a—" she was cut off as Ron's lips met hers. His lips felt as great as they looked, moving against hers in a rhythm _oh_-so-sweet. She opened her mouth a little to his tongue, and squeezed her eyes shut as her world exploded around her. This was heaven, complete bliss. Her hands managed to wind around his neck and into that gorgeous red hair. His arms twined around her waist, pulling her closer to his body. His hair was so silky…

Ron pulled away, and Kate opened her eyes to see him blushing from his neck to his bright red tussled hair. Kate blushed right back, and the two stood there for a moment, just gazing and blushing.

Ron suddenly started and said, "Right, well, what do you think?"

"I think that was the best kiss ever," replied Kate dreamily, still in her happy place. Ron turned a darker shade of scarlet and quipped, "Thanks, but I meant the clothes."

It was Kate's turn to start. She looked him up and down, and gave her approval. Ron had a blue-gray collared t-shirt with a pattern on the front, and stone-washed jeans. _All you need's a bow on top and he'd be a great gift._ Kate smirked, agreeing with Ophelia for once.

"Looks absolutely fantastic. I'm going to try this shirt on, and then we can check out together." Ron nodded and leaned against the wall. Kate walked into a stall, pulled the curtain shut, and slumped against the wall. She had just kissed Ronald Weasley, her (somewhat distant) crush of three years. The funny part was, he had kissed her, so he liked her. "Hey, you all right in there?" Ron called out. "Yeah, be right out," Kate said. "I got lost in thought for a moment."

Kate tried on the tee. It was a bit tight at the bust, but fit everywhere else, so she deemed it wearable. She went to Ron and struck a pose. "Am I fabulous, or am I fabulous?" Ron grinned. "Fabulous."

Kate laughed and ran back to get her old shirt. Both she and Ron headed to the counter where they bought and paid for the clothes they were wearing (tags were of no use, everything was about the same price), and met up with the others. The twins sported identical pink shirts that stated "PINK IS THE NEW BLACK" with black jeans, Ginny had on her ensemble, and the parents were dressed in parent-y clothing.

"So can we eat yet," "or do we simply starve our way to another size?" The twins quipped.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley frowned, Ginny sighed exasperatedly, and Ron and Kate shook their heads, Kate chuckling, Ron scowling. Mr. McGregor looked around and said, "Food, most definitely."

Everyone went back out to the street carrying assorted bags containing robes. Kate pulled out a lip gloss and slicked on a layer of "Totally Pink!" This got everyone's attention, though the looks were varied. Mr. and Mrs. McGregor just watched her apply it out of nothing-better-to-do-ness. The twins saw a new prank lip-stuff on their product list. Mr. Weasley saw it as an opportunity to research a new Muggle… thing. Mrs. Weasley didn't like it; it was inappropriate for a girl of her age. Ginny watched interestedly, wanting to buy some of the shiny stuff at the next store. Ron just noticed it made her lips stand out.

Kate saw the stares and stopped. "What are you looking at?"

"What's that shiny stuff? It's really cool," said Ginny.

"This is lip gloss. Erm, people put it on because it feels good, tastes good, and looks good. I use it because this stuff smells like mints, and it tastes like candy. Others just use it to make their lips shiny," Kate explained. The Weasleys blinked, then moved on to watch other tidbits of Muggle stuff doing it's thing. Ron continually glanced at Kate's 'new' lips, which didn't go unnoticed by Ginny. She made a note to tease Ron about it later.

Ron was currently thinking about what it would be like to kiss her with that stuff. He decided to do the next best thing.

"Kate, could I try some of that lip stuff?"

"Well, it's sort of a girl thing, but sure. This is London, I bet some guys wear lip gloss here…" she smirked playfully. Ron's face flushed and he denied using it, trying to defend his masculinity.

"That would be an excellent Dare. You get a pure-blood wizard, who has no idea what lip gloss is, to walk around with it on. All the muggle-borns would know what lip gloss was, and laugh. It'd be hilarious," enthused Kate, smiling widely. The Weasley clan laughed and agreed, the next Truth or Dare game would contain lip gloss.

When they reached the restaurant, the twins smelled the food and loudly proclaimed in unison, "Finally!" This caused a bit of a scene outside, to which the twins waved and smiled charmingly. One girl grinned shyly back, to the shock of Mrs. Weasley and the amusement of all the teens. They entered the restaurant and the McGregors asked for a table or group of tables for nine. What ended up happening was: the parents got a booth and the teens got two tables pushed together. It all worked out in the end.

Menus were looked through, drinks were asked about, and drinks were ordered. Ginny found a fascination is pink lemonade ("But how could you possibly get pink lemons?!"), Fred and George ordered coffee, Ron got a soda, and Kate an iced tea. Soda-pop was a topic of interest, and Ron was the only one brave enough to try it. Next subject was food. Muggle food was pretty much the same as Wizard food, so that wasn't a problem. Kate did mention that cheeseburgers were something definitely worth trying, especially if you enjoyed meat.

Fred and Ginny got a chicken breast linguini, while George, Ron, and Kate ordered burgers. The food was absolutely great, despite the whole ketchup issue. Ron refused to try anything that looked so much like blood. Kate insisted he just try a bit, just a corner of a chip. Ron tasted it reluctantly, then his eyes lit up and he put it on his chips, burger, and a bit on the table. He also really liked the soda.

Conversation was mostly neutral subjects, because they were trying (keyword: trying) to be inconspicuous. They talked about games, including Quidditch, but they made it sound like an exclusive card game.

After dinner, they sat and talked for a little bit, then paid and left with the adults. They vetoed the ice cream until their food settled, and went shopping. They first went to a department store. Ginny sampled and bought some different lip glosses. Mr. Weasley purchased a digital watch that lit up when you pressed a button. Everyone had to go on the escalator several times, some (Mrs. Weasley) becoming sick and having to close their eyes. Ginny and the twins insisted on walking down the up escalator and up the down. This led to a reprimand from an older employee.

The next stop was a video game shop. Ron and Kate played several rounds of a sample games, and Ron claimed the mystical necklace, which was the finishing prize, 5/7 times. Kate was rather surprised that he caught onto the controls so quickly. He received a plastic replica of the necklace as a prize, which he gave to Kate. She placed on the top of her head with the plastic gem resting on her forehead and declared herself royalty. Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny mock-bowed and murmured, "Your _High_ness".

Kate put on a regal air and sashayed to the door. "You may rise, humble servants." She dropped the act, "God, I feel disgusting saying that!" She threw the necklace back to Ron. "You can keep that, and pretend on your own. Wow, that was really Pippi Longstocking-y…" Kate remarked, withdrawing into herself for a moment. Then, she shook herself out of it and grinned. "Time for ice cream?"

The video game store rang with a chorus of "yes!". The Weasleys were super-pumped from being in Muggle-ville.

They went to the ice cream shop and all ordered their cones. They ate eagerly and managed to get only a little hot fudge on themselves. Fred and George were very proud of this.

After ice cream, everyone was a bit tired, so the troop started walking back to the apartment for the night.

A family was walking the opposite way down the street. There was a large man, and a huge teenage boy, with a thin woman. All were blond. Just as the two males passed, a black head popped out, a stunned look on his face.

"Ron? What the bloody hell are you doing in Muggle London?" Harry Potter asked. Kate about fainted right there.

Ron walked up and beamed at Harry. "Hey mate, I thought you were under house arrest or something." Vernon glared at the tall red-head, and Dudley gasped, finally catching on that these were friends of Harry's, meaning they were wizards. He clutched his bottom, which was a bit of a task, before peering at them.

"Who's the bird?" he asked rather stupidly. Ginny glared, but Kate smiled charmingly.

"Hello Dudley. Grown even fatter I see, but that's ok, the whales need a king. And you shouldn't wear so much black eyeliner, it makes you look rather androgynous." Kate smirked as everyone but the Dursleys laughed.

Dudley looked around, then asked, "Androgynous? Isn't that where you look like both boy and girl?"

Kate answered back, "Yes, Duddy-kins. And for your information, if you ever call be a girl 'bird' again, the only boobs you touch will be your own."

All adults, Wizard and Muggle alike, made a double-take. Ginny gasped, but giggled nonetheless. The twins split into broad grins, as did Harry. Ron just stared at her, an incredulous yet very amused smile set on his face. The Dursleys glared and scattered away.

"Well, whatever you name is, that was one of the most brilliant things I have ever seen. I am forever in your debt," Harry said, giving a very elaborate bow. Kate grinned. "I can solve one thing right now. My name is Kate McGregor, and I'm going to Hogwarts this year. I was showing the Weasleys around Muggle London. They quite like escalators."

Harry chuckled, "No doubt. Where are you from? I've never heard you accent before. And how did you meet the Weasleys?"

Before Kate could answer, Vernon stalked back up and grabbed Harry's arm. "Tell you later, okay?" asked Kate. Harry nodded before turning to walk back with the Dursleys to wherever they were going. Petunia began simultaneously reprimanding Harry and cooing at 'Big D'. George snorted as Mrs. Weasley sighed, "He doesn't deserve that treatment, poor Harry. And those disgusting people! At least there's Hogwarts for him…"

The Weasley kids beamed at Kate. The twins were amazed and ecstatic that Ron liked a girl with such humor; she might even enjoy pranks! Ginny looked up to Kate as the other big sister she'd never had (Hermione was the first), even though she'd only known the older girl for a short time. Ron couldn't believe Kate had come up with comebacks like that. The adults were bemused yet slightly disgusted at what she implied.

When they reached the apartment, everyone sat and talked for a bit, because although it was too late to be walking around, it wasn't too late to talk (it's never really too late to talk, but that's another story…). Fred and George conferred on a sofa. The adults went to the dining room table. Ginny found Kate's CD player and pranced around the hallways. Ron and Kate went to an Ginny-free hallway to talk.

"Listen--" "We--" Both grinned nervously. "You first," said Ron.

"I admire your bravery, Ronald," she said sarcastically. "Ok, that… earlier thing; um, what did you think?"

Ron reflected that this Kate talking to him was very different from the coy one that had insulted Dudley. He liked this nervous one better.

"I liked it… a lot. I was sort of hoping that," here he gulped audibly, "maybe we can do it again sometime."

Kate took a small step forward. "Do, do you mean it? Because that's a possibility. A likely possibility."

Ron took a step forward. "Yeah, I mean it, and I think that possibilities are the greatest thing ever."

"So, erm… have you kissed many girls, then?" Kate asked.

"Well, I never—well, not _never, _I… no, not really," Ron said, the last part sounding dejected. "I just, I never felt… like doing that… it wasn't, it wasn't right."

"So, I'm lucky number one then? That's really nice," Kate blushed and worried the hem of her shirt.

"What about you, have you kissed many blokes before?"

"Well, this guy kissed me in… kindergarten… no, not really," admitted Kate, looking down.

"Yeah, ok. Well, I'm… yeah… Listen, let's keep this a bit quiet until we can… sort things out, right?" Ron said uncertainly.

"That's sounds like the best course of action… for now, that is," Kate replied, looking up briefly.

"Ron, sweetie it's time to go now!" Mrs. Weasley shouted. Ron blushed, glanced at Kate, then went to Floo home.

_Could you BE more pathetic? _Ophelia asked. Kate sighed, "Probably not."

HPHPHP

**Author's Note: Hello readers! If you are reading my first ever Author's Note (yay!), I congratulate you on your bravery. I know, that "possibilities are the great thing ever" bit was incredibly stupid sounding, but I couldn't think of anything better. Looking Down The Road: the plot thickens!!! Hogwarts, s'mores, feasts, Malfoy, and more await you!!!**

**Do you see that little periwinkle button below? It gives you cookies when you click it. If you say bad things, the flames burn your cookies. Just a hint.**


	5. The Burrow

The Weasleys sent owls to the McGregors all the time. Some of the neighbors noticed the owls, and the McGregors asked the Weasleys to send the owls at night, when they would be more inconspicuous. Generally, things went back to normal, except one could find Kate immersed in text instead of a laptop screen. If she had friends over, she would say she was going as a Harry Potter character for a masquerade bash or something.

She did ask Ron to forward a message to Harry about her. She felt that she should answer his question. Ron told her that messages to Harry had to be kept to a minimum because of the "Dreadful Dursleys". She did receive a reply, saying nice to meet you and some stuff explaining Hogwarts. She laughed a bit at this. "Malfoy is a git. Filch, too." wasn't elegant, but made a point.

Ron did send her notes, sometimes being general about news in the World, sometimes personal about familial struggles and emotions running through his thoughts. Most were awkward and almost hard to read because of it.

She would crack jokes about their courses and random Wizard things to ease him up. One of her notes was as follows:

_Dear Ron,_

_I have to say, I've read _Hogwarts, A History_, and it is THE driest thing I have ever read in my life. Who cares about the painting on the fifth floor? It's a woman scaling fish. Honestly. I would love to meet Hermione, because only a truly insane person can twist that enough to make it interesting. I am learning incantations and practicing with a straw. That's a tube you put in your drink, you remember, from the restaurant._

_Potions sound interesting; though I'm pretty sure I'll be in Gryffindor, with that brave personality and the fact that I have a brilliant prank to play on Malfoy. How d'you think he'd look with blue hair? Blue skin?_ _BEAUTIFUL. LOL (remember, that means Laugh Out Loud)._

_Seven days until Hogwarts… I'm bouncing in my seat now, in case you were wondering. Hey, can we Floo over sometime? I'd love to see the Burrow, and we could talk. About school, and magic in general, because there are lots of things books DON'T talk about._

_Kate_

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Ron was remembering Muggle London. He was amazed that Kate would say such "wow" things to Dudley. Of course, Kate was a "wow" kind of girl. He thought about their goodbye and cringed. That wasn't really the best way to end a day: "yeah…" She wasn't perfect, not was she what most guys probably liked, but she was just… different. She wasn't giggly or androgynously big, nor was she sexy. Ron blushed at that.

She had a spunk about her, a "yeah, so what?" attitude that was so _cool_. There was no other word for it. Yet she was shy enough to get mussed about the… kiss. Oh, the kiss was wonderful, but Ron was still a little confused. He had no idea what or where it came from.

Kate still owled him, so they were still friends. That was nice.

Ron heard Pig pecking the window, and read Kate's letter. Halfway through, he shouted a laugh, which drew Ginny to inspect the scenario. She grinned when she saw the note. "What did she write this time?" she asked, trying to grab the letter. Ron held it away and said, "She mentioned playing a prank on Malfoy to turn him blue. Completely blue."

Ginny gaped, then broke down in peals of giggles. Ron read the last paragraph and blushed. She wanted to see him again, _soon_. Ginny, still giggling, didn't notice. Ron stood up and said, "Listen, Kate wants to know about Hogwarts. I'm going to ask if she can Floo over tonight or tomorrow night for dinner. Ginny stopped giggling and nodded emphatically, "That'd be wonderful. Kate's awesome; I can't believe we get to spend a whole school year with her! No, better, two school years! Whoa…"

Ginny pretended to go into a trance-like state (not unlike Luna), then snorted or of her own humor. Ron rolled his eyes and went down seven flights of stairs to the living room, where Mrs. Weasley was reading a hovering book and knitting. She furrowed her brow and the page turned. Ron cleared his throat, and Mrs. Weasley looked up from _Melinda Morrigan's Tantalizing Romances._ "Yes dear, what is it?"

"Kate wants to know if she and her family can come over for dinner," Ron blushed. "She's completely bonkers about Hogwarts, and--"

"Oh, of course Ronald, that family is simply wonderful! Although Kate should watch her tongue! Oh, I'll need to cook now!"

Ron chuckled as Mrs. Weasley's tone went from approving to reprimanding to excited. _Just like Ginny_, Ron thought. He ran back upstairs to his room, but not before grabbing a piece of cheddar from the icebox. The magi-clock told him it was 4:45. He scribbled out an invitation and shoved Pig out the window (with the note, of course). Fifteen minutes later, a reply came saying: _Be there at 5:00._ Well, it was five o'clock right then, so Ron changed shirts, making sure to wear something nice, not too shabby, and went downstairs. Kate was using some kind of brush and bowl-thing to dust herself off.

She saw Ron and held up the two… things. "I come prepared!"

Ginny apparently heard Kate's voice, because as Kate finished speaking, she pounded down the stairs to hug Kate. Kate held out her CD player, which made Ginny squeal and run off. She then ran back and grabbed the CD player, then rushed off once more. Kate snorted, then greeted Mrs. Weasley.

"Arthur and the twins quit at 5:30, so you kids have fun," Mrs. Weasley said, patting Kate on the cheek. Kate hid a grimace from the touch, instead turning it into a toothy smile.

"Yeah, I brought a game that we could play before dinner, just in case," she replied, turning to Ron. "It's called Cranium, but we'll do it the two-player way instead of have teams." Ron nodded and the living room. The path was: up a few stairs, turn left, you're there. There were tons of family photos here, some in black and white, and some in color. There was one where a little boy, probably Ron, was completely covered in mud, a small once-puddle-hole around him. He had mud in his hair, on his face, on his shirt, in his shirt, and completely coating his shorts and legs.

"Ron, do wizards wear pants under robes, or is it an el commando thing?" Kate asked innocently.

"We have everything Muggles do, except certain styles. Some wizards do go nude under them, because they can. They wear a little dickey thing underneath so they don't get sent home from work." Kate blushed, then sat down in a chair. Ron sat in a maroon armchair directly across from her.

"You can never escape maroon, can you?" Kate said. Ron glanced at the chair and grinned. "Never."

Kate pulled a small box out of her pocket. The box had a purple brain and four colored squares on it.

Kate opened the box to reveal a colored die, tiny cards, a little jar, two tiny notepads, and two 1 inch-long pencils. He picked up a pencil and examined it.

"What is this?" he asked Kate. She glanced at it and replied, "The Muggle equivalent to an erasable quill. Even need to sharpen them. I'm packing some for Hogwarts, in case I want to use then instead."

She explained the rules to the game. You had to roll the die, pick the card with the corresponding color, and do whatever the card told you to. The other person had to guess what it was. Kate got a green theatre card, and clucked her tongue. Ron remembered making the same noise last year to Umbridge.

"Centaur, Zebra, Unicorn, Horse, Hen" Ron listed.

Kate stopped. "It was horse. Remember, this is Muggle, so only non-magical creatures. And _hen_?! Your turn."

They played this game until Ron got frustrated from not knowing Muggle facts. They stopped playing and sat in peaceful silence for a while, then Ron gave Kate a look and said, "So…"

"Yeah, so… what toys do Wizard kids play with?"

"Little broomsticks that don't go above a few inches from the ground, kiddy-wands that use fake spells to do harmless stuff, a box that says the alphabet, stuff like that. You?

"We have little books connected to machines that talk to us and we have to use pens, they're like quills too, to point and write and stuff. It all requires lots of batteries."

"Cool. D'you want to go check on everyone now?"

"Sure. I don't trust Ginny with my CD player for too long, she might twirl it to death." Ron grinned openly, and Kate smiled back. Then they both blinked, blushed, and walked out of the room.

The remaining Weasleys had arrived, and Fred had somehow managed to bribe Ginny into letting him listen to the CD player. He was playing air guitar rather magnificently.

Dinner was absolutely splendid. They were outside, the sun was setting, and twins were belching. Absolutely splendid indeed. Dinner consisted of meat pies and casseroles. Kate asked about the pies and stayed away from all of the ones that had organs in them. Everyone talked about everything, but Quidditch was prevalent. Kate learned about the different teams and wowed people once more with her knowledge of the history of the sport (which she obtained from _Quidditch through the Ages_).

They talked about people at Hogwarts, who to avoid and who to befriend. Kate took all of this with a grain of salt; she'd make her own decisions about her friends, thank you very much. Mr. Weasley talked about work; someone put dungbombs in an Aldi (Muggle grocery shop chain) store. The shop now needed all new goods. The twins shared a guilty look, and Kate had a sneaking suspicion she knew who did it.

After dinner, the Weasleys had a bonfire in their backyard. Kate remembered she had forgotten something and went to Floo to her apartment. While there, she grabbed two boxes and a bag. She Floo'ed back and ran the fire. She held out the boxes and bag. They were graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows. She told them about s'mores and marshmallows. No, they're not that healthy; yes, they are fantastic; we need sticks.

Ron, Kate, and the twins went to find some thin sticks for the marshmallows. Ron and Kate both reached for a the same stick, and their hands brushed. They turned violently red and continued searching, shooting each other glances while the other wasn't looking. Once they had retrieved the necessary nine, they went back. The McGregors showed them how to burn off the bark, and how to poke the marshmallows on.

"You should have the graham crackers and chocolate ready, because the marshmallows are the best when they're hot. Ok, you stick a marshmallow on, then you put it over the fire and cook it. If you let it burn, you have to blow it out. Watch."

Kate put a marshmallow on her stick, and stuck it in the flames. The marshmallow caught on fire and blackened. She blew it out, then faced the family, "TADA!"

"Wow, Kate, that was really difficult," Ginny said sarcastically. "Now, tell us how to _not_ do that."

Kate demonstrated how to toast the marshmallows, and how to make s'mores. Not long later, the "mmm"s could be heard from every person at the bonfire.

"How in the bloody hell did we not know about these things?" One twin asked. The other shrugged. Kate sat eating a s'more contentedly when Ron reached out, rubbed the pad of his thumb over her lip, then stuck the digit in his mouth. Kate looked over, and Ron's eyes widened. He turned a magnificent shade of scarlet and turned back to the fire.

The group had a fun time, Ginny beginning a 'mallow fight. Then a twin threw a melted marshmallow and it splattered in Kate's hair. She gave a mock gasp'n'glare, then began picking out and eating the gooey bits of sugar. The fight kind of ended after that, mostly because Mrs. Weasley gave the twins a lecture. Kate stuck her tongue out at them, smirking. Mr. and Mrs. McGregor were completely oblivious to all of this, completely caught up in feeding each other s'mores, then licking the other's fingers. Kate grimaced and made sure that no one else saw the… un-appealing display of affection.

The "display" did not go un-noticed by Ginny, who raised her eyebrows and looked at Kate. The older girl was grimacing, and soon began loudly asking questions about different Wizarding things. She shrugged it off and joined the conversation.

After that, the McGregors decided it was time to leave, so everyone said their goodbyes. The twins saluted jovially, Ginny reluctantly handed the CD player back (Kate promised to buy her one before Hogwarts), Mrs. Weasley gave Kate a motherly pat, Mr. Weasley smiled, and Ron gruffly pulled her into a hug, to which Kate hugged back, a little in shock. "See you in a week," he whispered.

"Yeah, a week," Kate responded.

HPHPHPHP

**AN: OK, my second author's note! I'm sorry this took so long, but a lot has happened. I'm moving to a new school, yay. If there is someone who wants to be a beta for my story, LET ME KNOW! Everything is un-beta'ed, because my current hasn't responded much. BTW, I really like reviews, even if they are flames. Some recognition for my effort is really great, so I have a request. 10 reviews for this chapter. It's not a lot, considering some people get hundreds. 10 reviews. **

**Se the purple button? IF YOU READ IT, YOU MUST CLICK IT, CLICK IT GOOD.**


	6. Hogwarts

**This chapter has been beta-ed! Yay to shabd, my beta.**

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The days passed fairly quickly, and Kate began to feel a knot of excitement forming in her stomach. This was her dream, her ultimate heaven. She was to study magic, hang out with the coolest kids on the planet, and would go into a magical career when she was older. She'd also get to go to Hogsmeade, and visit the Shrieking Shack. This was _beyond_ awesome.

On _the _night before _the_ day, she never fell asleep. She got up at around 5:30 to double check her trunk, pack all her Harry Potter books, plan her outfit for the next day, and email her friends:

_Hey guys. I will be incommunicado for a few months :-(. I will be attending this exclusive private school that doesn't allow internet. I'm so excited! I already have a few friends, and my courses sound really interesting. There's this really hot guy, must be like 6" tall, blue eyes, funny personality… He's a lot like what you'd think Ron Weasley would be. I miss you all in __Ohio__…maybe I'll fly over in the summer. Hugs and kisses __ALL__ around, _

_Kate._

She was finished by 7:30, so she went and got some breakfast. She ate a few bites of cereal, but couldn't eat anything other than that. She read some fanfics, to which she laughed because now she knew the _truth_. She played some speed games on her laptop, and because she was so jumpy, her performance was at its peak.

10:00 finally came, and the McGregors' boarded the subway, and went to King's Cross Station. They walked, Kate spastically, to a border between platforms nine and ten. Kate stuck her hand on the stone, and it didn't shift. This is when they discovered that there was more than one border. They began searching for a wall where a group of people were standing. Kate saw some older, confident teens and some nervous younger teens standing by one of them. She made her way over, and stood in line. Some kids went at it in a casual stroll, while some broke into a run. Kate did a kind of jog, and kept her eyes open to watch the transition.

She saw the Hogwarts Express, and gaped. It was bright red, with "Hogwarts Express" written on its side. Kids were boarding the train, dragging their trunks behind them. Kate grabbed a rail and tugged her trunk aboard. She began searching for a compartment. She saw red hair and tugged open a door. Several Hufflepuffs (she knew because they had yellow accents on their robes) sat inside, looking at her. She apologized and searched some more. She saw pale blonde hair and two really big looking people, with some other darker heads, and steered clear. No Malfoy until she knew what House she was in. She saw two brunettes and a tall redhead in one and opened the door. Ron grinned, "Bout time you got here. Hermione, this is Kate. Kate, you know Hermione Granger."

Kate smiled and shook Hermione hand. "It's a pleasure meeting you, Hermione. I've read _Hogwarts, A History_, in case you are wondering, and I think I might find a way to use technology in Hogwarts."

Hermione's entire face lit up and gestured for Kate to sit down. Kate shoved her trunk onto the rack and sat beside Ron, across from Hermione and Harry. Ron shifted a bit when she sat, but there was plenty of room. He just did, without even realizing it.

Kate began explaining how one could charm batteries to support Wizard usage. Hermione thought about it and agreed. Harry and Ron joined in, and the group talked about their courses. Hermione was in Advanced Arithmancy, Transfiguration, Astronomy, and Charms. She took normal Herbology, DADA, and Potions. Kate wasn't sure what she was doing, and the boys were completely normal in all courses.

"So, what House do you think I'll be? Definitely not Slytherin, I'd make a fair Ravenclaw, I don't want to be Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor's... not _bad_," Kate said. Ron glared at her.

"Gryffindor is the best of the Houses, and you know it!" he exclaimed. Kate grinned, "I know, I was teasing you. It worked, didn't it?" Ron blushed, and the other two laughed. They chatted, and evaluated that Kate would most likely be in Gryffindor.

After a while, the group sobered. Harry looked at Ron. "Can we trust her, with, you know?" Ron nodded, "She'd know anyway. She seems to know everything about us, but she's fine."

Kate gave a mock bow. "I'm glad you think so, Ronald. If I may, I am trustworthy, and I will say "Voldemort wears moldy drawers" fifty times if I must."

Harry grinned, "Ok. This new Minister, Scrimgeour, what do you think of him?"

"Don't trust him, he's exactly the way the Ministry wants, all facades and non-truths. The world is becoming really volatile - stick with your own," Kate burst out. The statement received raised eyebrows.

"Are you a Seer?" Hermione asked.

"No, I'm a muggleborn. I have my sources, and when it's right, I might tell you. I need to see what happens first. My first test will be soon - it's on Malfoy. Who's in?"

Three people nodded their heads, and then questioned, "What is it?"

"I'll need to get close to him - it might take a while - and it involves acting. I'll be into Gryffindor, but I can pretend to hate both it and you three. If I rag on you and muggleborns, there is no way he would know I am one. I might be able to extract information from him, information that will be priceless to us.

"The trick is, I'll need to pretend to hate you all, and I'll need to butter up to Malfoy. Buttering up won't be bad, as long as he isn't gay. Although it is a little repulsive," Kate explained. That was a bit of a lie, as long as Malfoy was as hot as she thought. There must have been a side to him that wasn't so cold.

"Anything from the trolley, dears?" The trolley witch smiled at the students. Harry bought a few of everything, Hermione got a Chocolate Frog and some tooth-cleaning mints, and Ron went choco-crazy. Kate bought a few Chocolate Frogs, several packs of tooth-cleaning mints, and a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. She opened the box and popped a green bean in her mouth. It tasted of freshly mown lawns. She grinned; it tasted great. She'd always loved the smell of grass, but the taste was even better.

Everyone munched in silence for a while, then Ron and Hermione got ready to leave for their Prefect Duty. Kate stood up with a smirk, straightened the duo's robes and smoothed their hair, then said in a quirky tone, "Now you kids will do just fine - go get'em!" Ron scowled, feeling déjà vu from that morning. Hermione got the joke and smirked, saying, "I'm fine Mrs. Weasley, thanks." Ron face suddenly adorned the "Oh, I just got it" expression, and he smiled as well. The two left, leaving their candy behind. Harry eyed the candy, and then glanced at Kate, who was also admiring the wonderful display of sucrose. They both grinned and dove for the treasure.

Ron and Hermione went through the whole boring Prefect speech (although Hermione didn't find it boring at all), and went through compartment checks ("Really Ronald, Lavender is at an inappropriate age for that kind of affection!") before going back to their compartment. Once there, they got ready for debarking, which basically meant throwing away the candy wrappers, stuffing the uneaten candy in their robes, and lugging their trunks off the rack.

"Kate, you take the first years' route: boats. You'll need to get sorted into Gryff—you'll need to get sorted," Hermione corrected herself.

"Yeah, and don't throw ickle firsties into the water, either," Ron added. Kate saluted, blew them all big kisses, and headed towards Hagrid. She stopped and took a minute to marvel the school though. She was at Hogwarts, and she was about to be sorted. This was the best day of her life, so far. Hagrid was holding a huge lantern, so it was really easy to see him, even though it was barely dusk. They had been on that train for around six hours. Wow.

She got into a little rowboat with three other first years. She sat next to a scrawny boy with brown hair and… startlingly turquoise eyes. The three stared at her. "You can't be a first year, you're too big," said a girl with a pointed face.

"Too right I'm not," Kate smiled. "I'm a transfer from America." The three nodded in understanding. The boat began to magically move across the water.

The boat ride went peacefully. They got to the castle, and Kate helped the others get their trunks out of the boat. They followed the swinging lantern (a.k.a. Hagrid) up to the castle, and then walked through the huge wooden doors, and into the Great Hall. Kate gasped; the sky was above her, magical people around her, and a Sorting Hat in front of her. Was she nervous? Yes! Was she going to let it show, when she could make her debut in the entire school? Are you kidding, of course not! The little eleven-year-olds went up when their name was called. Finally, "Zelbrook, Antony!" was called, and Kate was the only person left.

Professor McGonagall made an announcement, "Ms. Kataline McGregor is a transfer student from America. She shall be taking a "crash course" of magic, then join the sixth years when she is ready. Ms. McGregor, if you please," Kate walked up to the hat, a flounce in her step. The professor placed the hat upon Kate's head, and the hat began to talk in Kate's mind.

"Well, you are different. Older, quirkier, and more confident than most kids I get." Kate grinned and responded, thinking, "Why thank you, kind and noble hat, for pointing that out." "Yes, quirky indeed. You'll do no good in Hufflepuff. Even I dislike those dunderheads." Kate snorted. "You have the cunning and humor of a Slytherin, and the brains of a Ravenclaw. You have the bravery of a Gryffindor. You… Oh dear, you know more than you should. I say no to Slytherin, you'll do no good there, either. You need Gryffindor. Okay, I want to see how this turns out, GRYFFINDOR!"

Kate got up, took the hat off, and bowed to it. She then turned to the entire school and stopped, staring at each table, smirked mysteriously, and went to sit down. This caught the attention of many students, who wondered what the hell she was thinking about. Kate picked a spot by the trio, and sat down. She smirked again, and started playing with a bit of string on her wrist.

Draco Malfoy watched as she tried to talk to the "terrific" trio. They turned to her, and then dismissed her, much like the Slytherins usually did. She visibly huffed, then turned all of her attention to what looked to be a particularly difficult string trick involving fingers, wrists, and... elbows? Draco shook his head before turning to his House's conversation, but continually glanced at Kate, who was looking at random students while mindlessly fooling with the string. At one point, her eyes locked with his. She glanced around at the other Gryffs and stuck her tongue out, pulling a disgusted face. Draco had to work really hard to suppress a grin, and managed a smirk instead.

The rest of the feast was completely normal. Pansy simpered at him from a bit away, and Crabbe and Goyle ate large amounts and grunted to each other in some special language. Kate was staring at him absentmindedly, to which he waggled his fingers in a wave, smiling his Malfoy grin (which was more for the intended victim, not for any real emotion). She blushed, and he turned his attention elsewhere.

Kate leaned over to "greet" the trio. She subtly glanced at Malfoy, who was glancing back, only not so subtly. She pretended to be animated, saying, "Harry, Ron, Hermione, it's so great to be here! Don't forget what we talked about!" She shot a hard glance toward the Slytherin table. The three got an understanding gleam in their eyes and quickly turned their backs to her. Kate pretended to huff dramatically, before working Crabs, a string trick that she had been working on for a while. Kate continually glanced at Draco, finally catching his eye. She glanced at some giggling girls, then at the trio, and stuck out her tongue at a still watching Draco.

His lips quirked, and he looked as if he were trying not to smile. Good, she got his attention. Now all she had to do was befriend him, maybe even… seduce him. He wasn't bad looking; slim, blonde, grey eyes, pointed features, and very tense. He was aware of much more than most people thought; he knew Pansy was slowly blinking at him in a manner she thought was sexy two seats down, and he most definitely knew Kate was staring at him. He did a little wave and gave a seductive smile. Kate blushed, knowing full well she was ogling, and concentrated on eating. The chicken was fantastic, the potatoes spot on, and dessert was simply magnificent. She sat back, completely stuffed, and anticipated the bed that she knew was waiting for her.

Dinner ended, Dumbledore gave a small speech on rule breaking, and the Prefects led the students to their dormitories. Kate followed, and memorized the route. Out to the hallway, turn right, go up the staircase on your left, go up several floors, and follow the row of seasonal paintings. The paintings sported a park full of people. The adults waved jovially, and the children blew raspberries, to which Kate blew right back. The children grinned delightedly, giggling, and the adults frowned. Ron smiled, him being one of the Prefects that were showing the first years their dormitories.

So, past the paintings, turn left, and meet a huge portrait of a handsome woman in a pink satin dress. "Password, if you please," her voice was deep and rich. "Snape is a git," Ron said joyfully. The entire group sniggered as the portrait swung open. They walked in the entryway to a large room on their right.

The common room was most definitely posh. Armchairs and sofas of red suede and tweed lined two of the walls, with coffee tables for the ever-arduous homework. There was a ring of chairs around the roaring fire, and two staircases straight from the entryway. Hermione led Kate to them.

"Left is the boys, right is the girls. You'll be in the one marked "Sixth Years". Your dorm mates will be me, Lavender, and Parvati." She said the last two with faint disgust.

"So I get to see books, magazines, makeup, and pictures of hot guys? I love it!" Kate smiled brightly. Hermione laughed, "That's one way of thinking about it. Listen, Harry, Ron and I are sitting around the fire, you want to join us?"

Kate smiled, "Yeah, I'll tell you how the first step was carried out." They went to the chairs by the fire and sat by the two boys. "So, how was Malfoy?" Ron asked conversationally.

"Perfect. When you three ignored me, he noticed. I looked at him, glanced at you, and pulled a face. He almost _smiled_." Here, the trio gasped. "This is going to be easy, but it might be a little more… sensual than I first thought." The trio grimaced, Ron looking down at his lap, and nodded. Kate threw him a sympathetic glance, "I need to wedge myself bit by bit, but I'll manage."

Harry nodded. "I'm off to bed, tomorrow's the first day of classes and I need to be awake." Hermione looked at the disgruntled Ron and awkward Kate, "I'm going too." They went upstairs to their dormitories.

"Way to be subtle, Hermione," Kate said under her breath.

Ron looked up, "Yeah, I know. Listen, I don't mind what you're doing, but I do… like you… a bit, and I just want to know if you like me back before youdo… this." Kate fidgeted, "I do like you Ron, I like you quite a bit. That's why I need to do this. I need to protect Hogwarts, and everyone in it, especially… you." She cleared her throat, and fidgeted again. Ron smiled weakly, "Yeah, okay then." Kate was about to agree, when Ron leaned for her and brushed his lips against hers. He stood up and ran up to his dorm. Kate got over her initial shock, sighed, and went to bed as well.

Her dorm was nice; her bed (she could tell it was hers by the trunk that stood beside it) was a full size, which was nicely big. The sheets were burgundy satin ("Ooooh, satin!"), the bedspread was a burgundy/gold checkered quilt, and the drapes of the four-poster were velvet, but dust free. _The house elves must beat them or something_, said Ophelia. _I wonder what the Slytherin dorm is like… _Kate stopped that thought immediately. She would never see _his _dorm, no matter what.

She opened her trunk, pulled out her pajamas, and hit the sack for the night

**Author's Note: Okay, so I didn't update particularly fast... Okay, so in America we have a TV show called American Inventor, where normal people have brilliant ideas and try to win the money to support them. One guy's was the Guardian Angel, and it senses when your X-mas lights are getting too hot and turns them off before they can start a fire. So those statistics _might _drop (check out my other story, Stalkers, to see what the hell I'm talking about)... Okay, onward, reviews. Thank you, I got tons more reviews than I expected, but this was not a prompt to see how many reviews ONE PERSON could write (hrmi'nebook) so the emails I received were, frankly, not needed. I really appreciate them though, and they fuel my writing, so THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Chapter 7: Malfoy, classes, music, YEAH! I should really go to bed, it's 12:30...**

**Wait: pochi wrote a review: **i jumped at the idea of a muggle going in to hogwarts (an american witch actually) but its weird that shes addicted to the whole magical world thing...you honestly should included why she's a witch (muggleborn or whatever...) but the parents seem to know...and you should have put something else in the first chapter (like intro ductions and that lot)...(i am simply offering constructive critisism)...and why at all would she move to england just to go to school america must have their own school...(but dumbuldore is a brilliant headmaster no doubt in that)...and what year is this? (because, as you may know, as soon as a witch or wizard is 11 they are 'automatically' acceptedto hogwart school of witch craft and wizardry)...that is all i wish to critique on...(arent i such a git to make a comment this long?!)...

...good luck on your next fanfic!

**Kate (like me) grew up wishing for HP to be true, so of course she is addicted! I'm addicted and I know it's not true! Yes, Kate is muggleborn... maybe... America probably would have their own school, but I was stupid and neglected to think of that. A very unthoughtful moment on my part, I apologize, and I slap myself on the wrist. My timeline is messed up with JK's, simply because I refuse to believe that she came out with the book in 1997 but it was supposed to begin 1991. That's confusing. Most of your questions should have been answered my this note or the chapter. Please, if you have questions, ask them! I'm human and I will respond!!! Oh, and I don't mind long reviews :) Okay, I really need to pass out now. NO MORE 6:00 PM LATTES!!!!**


	7. Adjusting, Meeting, and other fancy stuf

**Disclaimer: For the past seven chapters I've not done this. You can hit me now... Anyway, the characters (except the McGregors and a few other OCs, places (except McCartney Blvd and other AU places), books, and all the recognizable stuff is JK Rowling's. And whoever else has a hold on the series.**

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Kate woke up smiling. She had been having a wonderful dream. She was a witch, she knew Ron Weasley, and she was in Hogwarts. The she opened her eyes to a red curtain. "It wasn't a dream!" she exclaimed. Several loud grunts told her that the other girls weren't up yet. She opened her curtains to see Hermione sitting on her bed, writing a long letter. "Good morning, Hermione!" Kate said happily. "Good Morning, Kate. You'd best grab the shower before the other two wake up. They tend to hog it." Kate grinned, grabbed her stuff, and headed for the bathroom. "Wait, do you have a razor?" Hermione asked. "Erm, yeah, shouldn't I?" "Well, we have a Shaving Serum, it magically removes hair." Kate took the proffered bottle and went back into the bathroom.

The shower automatically turned on to just the right temperature. Kate slathered, rinsed, conditioned, and re-rinsed. Then she opened the bottle of Shaving Serum and poured a little on each leg. The potion tingled, and the hairs literally dropped off her legs. "Cool," said Kate. After stepping out of the shower and towelling off, she dried her hair with a wave of her wand (which was so nice for Kate, who constantly had to wait and wait for her hair to dry), and got dressed.

She went out to be greeted by two impatient girls with armloads of stuff. One had dark hair and eyes with a bronze complexion, and the other was blonde haired and blue eyed with fair skin. "You must be Parvati and Lavender, I'm Kate. Sorry I took so long, I was figuring out how a magical shower worked, then I stepped in and got completely soaked! Anyway, it's free now." The two girls rolled their eyes and Parvati rushed in. Lavender gasped and pounded on the door, "Let me in Parvati! No fair!"

Kate went to the dormitory's vanity and held a hairbrush in one hand. This was the hardest part of every morning. Kate raised her brush and began attacking a section of hair. Hermione, watching all of this, laughed. "There is a spell for that, you know. You wave your wand like this," she demonstrated the wave, "and recite _Nontanglian_. I'll lend you my book of magical hair fixes."

Kate did the spell, her hair visibly decreasing in volume, and grinned. "I never took you to be the type to have a book of hair spells," she said. Hermione grinned. "With my mop, I have to!" The two giggled. Kate stood, "Well, I'd better head down; I need maximum time to know if Malfoy is an early bird or a night owl. See you later." Kate went into the common room, book bag in tow. Ron stood up to greet her, but Kate held up her hand, "I've got to be Malfoy-flirting this morning, and you do _not_ want to be there." Ron slumped and nodded.

Kate turned sympathetic, "Listen, come down about ten minutes after me, and we can hold hands under the table for a bit. Malfoy can't see what goes on under the table. We can even discreetly pass notes or something. Just remember to be disdainful _over _the table." Ron brightened a bit, and nodded, "Yeah, I guess that's better than nothing." Kate threw another sympathetic glance at him and walked out of the room, throwing over her shoulder, "I apologize in advance for any insulting comments I make towards you!" She managed to find her way back down to the Great Hall, even though a staircase changed.

When she got there, Malfoy was sitting and eating, but looked up when the doors opened. His face softened just a little, and Kate waved her hand in a hello, grinning. He raised an eyebrow, but nodded slightly, nonetheless. She sat down and made herself some porridge. She ate that, and two strips of bacon. Ron came down and sat next to her, but still about two feet from where she was sitting; not many people were up this early. He piled food onto his plate, most of it being meat, and tucked in. About a minute later, Kate felt a foot push up against hers and stay there. Even holding hands under the table wasn't subtle enough for Ron, the sneaky bloke. She could play that game. She slowly rubbed her shoe against his, and Ron smirked through his food. They played footsie while eating breakfast for ten minutes, when Malfoy walked up to the table.

"What's a pretty girl doing in a House like this?" Malfoy asked, giving her that little smile again. Ron tensed slightly, but had the good control to not say anything. Kate made a note to thank him so much later. She gave a sugary smile to Malfoy. "Not much, apparently. What's a hot bloke like you doing in the territory of a House like this?" Malfoy raised a brow, surprised by the turn of events. "Well, I was going to walk a beauty to their Head's office, to converse about said beauty's education."

Kate looked at Ron, "Well, I know Weasley isn't the brightest, but I doubt he needs to visit the _Head_." She snorted, "And I'd hardly call him a beauty." Ron's jaw tightened slightly, and Kate inwardly winced. Malfoy raised the other brow, impressed with her clever speech. She grinned, stood up, and allowed him to take her to McGonagall's office. The walk was pleasant, which surprised Kate. Draco was quite the gentleman when courting women.

"How do you like your fellow Gryffindors?" Draco asked, and Kate knew this was this was his deciding point for her. "Their… alright, I guess. They are slightly stupid, always projecting their thoughts, at whatever consequence. The Trio seem pretty… cozy together, but I want to know them." Draco "huff"ed a laugh. "Why would you want that? All they do is talk about how horrible the world is. So, why weren't you in Slytherin?"

Kate thought fast. "Well, my dad's a Muggleborn, and I grew up in a Muggle neighborhood. All that hat said was that I'd make a terrible Hufflepuff," Kate replied smirking. Draco faltered slightly, which Kate knew was bound to happen. She wasn't lying, though; her dad was a Muggleborn (and Muggle raised, and Muggle everything else), and she did grow up as a Muggle. The blonde, being dignified, continued on. "I agree with the hat, even though I believe its little song and dance thing is incredibly foolish." Kate grinned, realizing that he was accepting her as she was. "Yeah, it made Slytherins sound so sneaky, and Hufflepuffs actually decent. It was totally lame. Stereotypes are getting _really_ old."

They walked at a brisk pace and arrived at the door to the professor's office at one minute till. Draco bowed and kissed her hand, "It was a pleasure getting to know you, and I hope we could meet again." Kate smiled, "I'd love to. Goodbye, Draco." "Goodbye, Ms. McGregor."

Kate walked into the room smiling. "Well, Ms. McGregor, you seem happy to be here." Kate nodded, "Yes, this school is absolutely amazing; it's better than I could ever have hoped!" Professor McGonagall's expression softened, and she motioned for Kate to sit. "That's what I have always thought, too. You will be, as Professor Dumbledore said, taking a crash course in magic. Essays will be minimal--" Kate whispered "Yes!" and punched air upward slightly in a celebration.

Professor McGonagall raised a brow, "As I was saying: essays will be minimal, but you will need to learn most if not all of the curriculum your peers have learned. You will need to study and practice a lot, and Ms. Granger will be an invaluable friend to you. At some point, you will need to take the O.W.L.s to place you in this year's classes. There, you will join your classmates for the rest of term. Is this understood?"

Kate nodded, but some of the enthusiasm was gone. She had almost forgotten this was a school, with tests. Kate absolutely hated tests with _all_ of her being. Professor McGonagall gave her a schedule and dismissed her. "Oh, and Ms. McGregor?" Kate turned around. The professor smiled, "I'm glad you like our school so much. It is Albus' pride and joy."

Kate grinned and walked out. For "Thursday, September 2" she was to read _A Standard Book of Spells Year 1_. She was to practice the incantations until she did them perfectly. She went to the Library, checked out the book, and headed to her dorm. On the way, she checked the page count and sighed. The book was two-hundred and thirty-eight pages long, so it would probably take a while to read. She got to her dorm, jumped on her bed, and started reading.

It was fairly easy, mostly because it was intended for eleven-year-olds, but also because she knew some of the spells. She levitated her pillow and had it floating around the room, transfigured a hairpin into a needle, and a lot more before she collapsed onto her bed, exhausted. She had been working for six hours straight, and she knew every incantation and wand wave that the book had. She put the book and her wand aside, and fell asleep.

* * *

Ron pulled the Tentacula out of one pot, and into another. He never really liked Herbology; it was such a nothing class. Nothing special, nothing important if you don't go into a career of it, nothing really good, nothing really evil, just… nothing. Harry poked Ron, saying, "While you were musing about the universe, Sprout assigned two scrolls on Venomous Tentaculas, due Tuesday." 

Ron grinned, "Thanks mate. It wasn't the universe though, it was the usefulness of Herbology." Harry snorted, "Then you weren't thinking about it for long. How's Kate? I didn't see her this morning." Ron grimaced, "Let's just say, Malfoy knows she's a girl, and that she's… available. He walked her to McGonagall's office for her lessons." Harry grimaced, "That soon, huh? Kate must have some charm, or maybe Malfoy makes up for all of it…" Ron snorted, "They were both flirting, only Kate was a bit sarcastic about it. Malfoy was actually not that mean, towards Kate."

Hermione, who was listening in, replied, "Malfoys are probably taught courting classes from birth. I'll bet you anything Kate thinks he's quite the gentleman." Harry smirked, "Malfoy, a gentleman; the world might come to an end!" The three laughed and made their way to their dorm. It was a free period now, and there were no more classes until Astronomy at midnight.

"Password?" asked the Pink Lady. "Snape is a git," they said in unison. They entered the common room, and they went up to their dorms to put away their book bag. Hermione found Kate asleep with her curtains open. A book was on the desk next to the bed, as well as Kate's wand. Hermione gently woke Kate. Kate swung an arm, which hit Hermione's outstretched one, and Hermione grinned. "Fine, be stubborn, but I'm coming back in five minutes to try again."

Kate jack-knifed, "I'm up already! You're worse than my mom!" Hermione giggled, and pulled Kate to a sofa in the common room. "You need to tell us about Malfoy now, come on!" Kate frowned, "Why are you in such a good mood?"

Hermione's grin grew, "It's after classes; I have four hours of homework to do! All that knowledge, soon to be mine… all _mine_." Her eyes took on a glazed state, and Kate cautiously led her to a sofa holding Ron and Harry. Kate sat and began retelling the events of the day, and Hermione snapped out of her trance.

"He came over and threw a pickup line, I acknowledged, he sent another, and I turned it into an insult towards Ron." She turned to said redhead. "I am _so_ sorry, by the way. I really needed something… appropriate for his hook." Ron nodded and motioned for her to continue. "Ok, so he led me out of the Great Hall next. He was a complete gentleman." Hermione snorted, and the boys rolled their eyes. Kate stopped, "Am I missing something here?" Hermione shook her head, "No, nothing, continue please."

Kate glanced at her once before continuing. "He interrogated me a bit; I made some excuses, and he accepted them. It was actually rather sweet of him, being Muggle-phobic and all. He asked me why I wasn't Slytherin. I told him that I wasn't a pureblood and all I knew was that the hat told me Hufflepuff was not the House for me, which wasn't a lie. He agreed, and finished escorting me. He kissed my hand, and I went into McGonagall's office. She gave me my schedule, I did my work for the day, and I passed out from exhaustion. By the by, what time is it?"

Hermione checked her watch and responded "4:40", while the two boys were still blinking the information into their brains. Kate sat back and patiently waited for them to get done with their obvious struggle. "So… it's all good?" Harry asked uncertainly. "Yes, great. Now all I need is for him to stop posturing his supreme charm, and let me be his confidante. That'll be difficult; he seems to keep himself under lock and key," Kate mused. "Ah, well, there are more important things. Things like music, for example. I volunteer bringing tunes down and getting' groovy!"

Harry and Ron grew confused by her abrupt change, and Hermione gave a disapproving frown. "We can't have dancing, we have homework!" Kate grinned, "Let's make a bargain; for the next two hours I use some magical music, while you three do homework. After that, we go to dinner; I ask Dumbledore permission for the necessary spells, and we shake out to some American stuff." Ron grimaced, "I'm not a good dancer." Harry nodded, "Me neither. I could barely learn the waltz for Yule."

Kate grinned. "This stuff is nowhere near that. It's not about control, like the waltz, it's about letting go. You'll see, if I get permission. Right now, I'm preparing my notes for Big D, and finding out what the Weird Sisters are." Harry raised his brows at 'Big D', remembering Dudley's nickname. Kate smirked knowingly at him, mouthed "Dumbledore", and pranced to her dorm. There were things to plan, of course.

She gathered her notes (she had made them at the flat in London) into a pile by her bed, and pulled out one of Hermione's Sonic Spheres. Sonic Spheres were the Wizarding equivalent to CDs, and looked similar to a mini disco ball, only Spheres were black and not sparkly. This one had "Beethoven" written on it, so she rifled through Hermione's Spheres until she found a Weird Sister one.

The band was an alternative/punk/classic rock mix, and Kate laid on her bed, intent on learning the songs. When Hermione came in to check up on her, she was jumping on her bed, head bopping to a particularly spiteful and upbeat tune.

_You put a spell on me, and now I can't let go,_

_You've cursed me, through and through._

_All I wanted was to get by,_

_But you just couldn't let that slide._

_Take your potion and leave_

_You need to believe_

_You tried to gain me_

_But you lost yourself._

Kate played a bit of air guitar during the instrumental break and Hermione raised a brow, then clapped sarcastically. Kate stood up and bowed. "What's up Hermi-own?" Hermione rolled her eyes, "It's _Her-my-oh-nee_! Why can't any— Oh."

Kate was chuckling to herself, and Hermione had realized it was a joke. "Well, we're done with homework now, and dinner starts in about fifteen minutes." Kate grinned appreciatively, "Thanks for the heads up. I probably need that long to get presentable for Mr. Malfoy anyway." She waved her wand at her head and all stray hairs disappeared. "I love magic," Kate said dreamily. Hermione grinned, "See you later, Kate."

"Wait, I can be done in a few minutes, I want to talk a bit. Lavender and Parvati seem like airheads, so you're my only sensible female peer." Hermione smirked knowingly and sat on Kate's bed. "Ok, what do you want to talk about?" Kate blushed, "Do you like Ron? I… well, I like him quite a bit, and I was… just wondering…"

Hermione rolled her eyes again. "So you want a 'sensible female peer' to talk about boys? The answer to your question is no. The only competition you have there is Lavender; she drools over him all the time. I actually like Blai— someone else…" She blushed. Kate raised a brow, "Ms. Granger like a Slytherin, well, _that's_ interesting. I won't tell anyone, I promise. But, you _do _know he was ogling you at last night's feast, right? If looks could melt, you would have been liquid magma." Hermione blushed and nodded.

Kate thought for about three seconds, then bounced happily. "I could set you up! That would be so cool! Ok, when I'm with the Slytherins, which I definitely will be at some point, I'll slip him a note by you, and… something will happen!" Hermione gaped. "I most certainly will not! I can just… walk up to him somewhere and say it!" Kate sighed, and proceeded to talk Hermione into writing the note, and before dinner. Kate slid the precious note into her pocket, then shooed Hermione out so she could get ready. She brushed through her hair, which, thanks to another potion, was not tangled at _all_. She then pulled her hair into a bun, and brought little pieces down to hang on her forehead and neck. It was very cool looking, decided Kate. She put on lip gloss and taupe eyeshadow (both being Muggle cosmetics), and put on her school robes.

The trio was standing by the portrait hole, chatting animatedly. Kate assumed it was Quidditch by Hermione's bored expression and the arm movements Harry and Ron were making. Ron stopped making a diving motion, and watched Kate bypass students to get to them. Kate smiled self-consciously, "I did myself up for dinner, I figured, why not?" Harry grinned, "Malfoy won't be able to stop staring, let's go." Kate blushed when Harry hit her little round-about way of saying the same thing on the head. Ron grinned blushingly at Kate, she smiled back, and the quad went to dinner.

Kate entered the Great Hall a little after them, so it didn't seem like she was in their little group. She sat facing the Slytherins, and smiled at Draco. He smirked a reply, and raised an eyebrow in question, _"What happened today?" _Kate sat up straight and pursed her lips in a McGonagall like manner, and mimed talking. She gestured with her hands a bit, but was mostly prim. Malfoy's smirk widened. Kate grinned and filled her plate with food; wonderful, glorious food. She ate with gusto, but not without manners. She was, of course, currently "courting" Malfoy, who no doubt had lessons on the subject.

There was roast chicken, roast beef, roast pork, roast duck, soy noodles, pasta, garlic bread, veggies, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, and pumpkin juice. Kate liked pumpkin juice; it was cinnamon-y and a little bitter, but fruity nonetheless. For dessert, there were puddings, ice cream, cookies, cakes, pies, treacle tart, and hot fudge. Kate grabbed a small bowl and poured some fudge into it. She dipped a finger in, sucked the digit, and closed her eyes. The house-elves really outdid themselves with it.

She continued her choco-ministrations, unaware of the male stares it was drawing. When the bowl was empty, she looked around, reveling in the after-taste of chocolate. When she realized how many stares she was drawing, she blushed. Seamus held up the ladle, "D-d'you want some more?" She grinned and held up her bowl. He filled it, blushing. She dipped her finger in, and he, Ron, Dean, Neville, Colin, and several boys from other Houses groaned under their breaths. Kate inwardly grinned as her ego tripled.

She finished that bowl, and walked to the Slytherin table. She leaned over Draco's shoulder to whisper in his ear, "You have competition…" She walked out of the Great Hall and walked at a snail's pace, knowing that Draco would be coming out any second to "win her back". Sure enough, the Great Hall doors opened and he swiftly caught up to her. "So you _are _competitive, Mister Malfoy. How very… interesting." She said, the last word sounding very interesting indeed.

"Of course. I play Quidditch, right?" he responded questioningly. "Ooh, and he makes his comeback on the offense. What will Malfoy do? It's anyone's Quidditch game!" "And McGregor comes in with a pun, beating her way to the offense, and leading towards Malfoy's undeniable defeat!"

Kate stopped walking. "You're surrendering?! You can't surrender now, it's just getting good! Okay, then." Her abrupt change of heart caused Draco to raise a brow. "So, where to? I know this little room, it's really cool," Kate inquired. "On your second day at Hogwarts? Intriguing, I'd be… pleased to come and see." Kate glanced at him, "Well, now that I have your consent…" She smirked.

She ran up stairs to the seventh floor, and searched the hallways for Barnabas the Barmy. She eventually found it, much to the confusion of Draco, who followed her bemusedly until now. As Kate paced the hallway the necessary three times, she thought, _I want a place that will make Draco comfortable, really comfortable. I want a place that will make Draco comfortable, really comfortable. I want a place that will make Draco comfortable, really comfortable._

A door with a round brass knob suddenly appeared, much to the shock of one Draco Malfoy. He took a few shaky steps forward to open the door and the room within. Kate followed, and glanced at the awe-struck Malfoy before looking around the chamber. Most everything was shades of green, but there were random books bound in other colors. The leather sofa in the center was a deep black, as was the fire grate. On a coffee table rested an urn and two goblets. Kate walked toward a bookshelf, and noticed that the floor was squishy. It wasn't carpeted, it was… foamy. She took off her shoes and hopped in place.

Malfoy watched the odd girl, and then poked the floor with the toe of his shoe. Interesting. He sat on the sofa and looked in the urn. The substance was light brown, creamy, hot, and smelled chocolatey. He poured some into a goblet, which drew Kate to sit down with him. She held out her goblet for some, and her face lit up. "Mexican hot chocolate, I didn't think you were a chocolate person. Well, if you like chocolate, this stuff is the bomb."

"I actually _do _like chocolate, but not to the obvious extent you do." He poured himself a goblet full and took a sip. He visibly relaxed, his eyes closed, a ghost of a smile on his lips. Kate smirked, "So I'm guessing you like it…" Draco opened his eyes and nodded formally. "Yes, it's quite good." She huffed. "Do you ever relax? You're always so formal, and I actually want to know you." She nudged him with her shoulder.

Draco, for the first time ever, grinned. "Okay Kate, but be prepared." She feigned steeling herself, then nodded and replied, "Good. Now, what kind of music do you like, are you adventurous, who are you attracted to, that thing."

Draco cleared his throat and thought for minute. "I like the Weird Sisters, Aphrodite Ugly, Werewolf Revamped, and Da Short Wiz." Kate interrupted, "I take it those are Wizard bands?" "Well, of course!" Kate grinned, "We'll have to work on that." Draco looked confused, but nodded and continued.

"I like adventures, but I'm not a thrill seeker. That last one, that's a little… hard." Kate looked surprised. "So I take it that it's not me, then." Draco froze, "Well, you're okay, and I do find you… yes, well, but there is someone I particularly like. You do know her though, I think." Kate smirked, "It's Ginny, isn't it. When you weren't glancing at me, you were glancing at her."

Draco blushed. "Was I really that obvious?" Kate grinned, "No worries. My question is why did you flirt with me if you didn't like me?" "Well, Weaslette—Ginny is like forbidden fruit. I figured that you weren't, so why not?" Draco said quickly.

"So I'm like moldy cheese then; to follow your analogy. I should be offended, but I'm weird. Hey, you know Hermione Granger? She likes some guy named Blaise Zabini. She's actually quite nice, without her cronies." "D'you mean to say that Zabini's infatuation is returned? The Mudblood likes Blaise? Finally," Draco sighed exasperatedly. "Zabini's been mooning over her for ages." Kate huffed in amusement, "Well now that you've said it every different way, we can move on, and don't use that term. I consider myself above such nasty terms, and so should you." Draco looked offended at the scolding, and then nodded resignedly. "I won't use Mudblood if you'll help me with Wea—Ginny. Speaking of, what was that love bollocks you were muttering about?"

Kate grinned, "Here, next week, Thursday, directly after dinner." She stood up and walked to the door, but turned around and grabbed her cocoa, then walked out. Draco watched her leave, and thought, _this is the most unusual girl I have ever met. Imagine, her telling a Malfoy what to do! _He walked out of the room and headed for the Slytherin common room.

* * *

**I'm so sorry this is so late, I was procrastinating ;). Well, chapter seven is out for book seven. Speaking of, how many of you wonderful readers went to a midnight madness party? I went to the one in Queens, NY as Hermione! I'm on page 201 now, as Mom keeps stealing it. I really don't like this chapter. It feels inconsistent and choppy. Tell me what you think, and if you went to the party, in a review! Madly, Jennicula**

**P.S. Hrmi'nebook is getting better, everyone! Only two emails this time. And minor plead-age. Is this soon enough for you, h-book (I'm calling you that from this point on)?**


	8. Boggarts and Love Notes

Kate was rapidly progressing through her studies. She loved every minute of it, although History of Magic was even drier than American History. She excelled at Transfiguration, Charms, and Potions. Slughorn had already requested her addition to the Slug Club, which she denied, claiming that she had tons of study work and wasn't even thinking about a team of any sort.

Astronomy was interesting, although confusing and very precise. Defense Against the Dark Arts wasn't her favorite class, but she thought it too was interesting. Her favorite lesson so far was at some point during her second week at Hogwarts.

Kate entered Professor Snape's classroom, where she was to be facing a boggart for the first time. Snape was standing in the center of the room, actually watching the clock. He seemed disgruntled at her early arrival and motioned for the teen to join him. Kate grinned at the professor and took out her wand determinedly. Snape sneered half-heartedly and gestured toward a chest. "A boggart is a magical creature that feeds off your fear. It will sense your greatest fear and become it. The way to protect your self from this is by thinking of something funny and saying the incantation _Riddikulus. _Clear?"

Kate nodded and faced the quivering furniture. Snape magicked the door open and a small wooden hand grabbed the side of the armoire. "Oh shit," Kate whispered. The hand pulled its body out of the closet, and faced her. It was a ventriloquist's dummy, with a very large and sharp knife in its grip. It gave an evil, high-pitched giggle before slowly making its way to the frozen Kate.

Her eyes widened, and she managed to gasp out, "R-ridd-_riddikulus_!" The dummy grew, and became Ron in a flower lei, a coconut bra, and a straw skirt. He looked down at himself and blushed, before running to the chest and closing the door. Snape was glancing between the chest and his student. Kate (who was recovering from her fright) gave a startled chuckle and faced the professor.

"Commendable, Ms. McGregor. If I may, why a doll?" Kate rolled her eyes. "It involved a TV show, a late night, and an annoying friend who decided to prank me." A dark brow furrowed before Snape remembered what the hell a TV was. "And Mr. Weasley?" he sneered.

Kate blushed, and said, "I honestly didn't think that that image of Ron would actually work on the boggart. I was sort of hoping it would do something stupid, like Dumbledore in his PJs or something." Snape actually smirked, noting that the girl's face carried a dreamy quality that could only be formed from unresolved sexual tension (a.k.a. a crush). "You may go, Ms. McGregor, but write a parchment on your experience today due at you next lesson."

Kate left, thinking about her situation. If the sixth book were true, could she prevent Dumbledore's death? Would that change the result of the Final Battle? Was his death inevitable? Could Draco be persuaded? Could Snape be persuaded? He seemed to like Kate, compared to most Gryffindors. Kate shrugged her thoughts away and stopped at the Fat Lady. "Hello, how are you today," asked Kate, putting on fake enthusiasm. "Oh, hello dear, and I'm doing perfectly fine. Thank you for asking," replied the painting with a warm smile. "Great! Tempus."

The portrait opened and Kate went to her favorite couch in a corner. There was a coffee table that automatically supplied whatever drink one wanted, so it was a favorite among many students. She sat down and pulled out her supplies: a quill, ink, parchment, and her very own Sonic Sphere.

Dumbledore had reviewed the notes of both Kate and Hermione, and regretfully told them that wizards had tried the same tests, but were unable to forge the connection between electricity and magic. The two witches were surprised, but began working on a different experiment to bring Muggle music into the Wizarding World

Kate finished the essay about an hour later, and asked the table for iced tea. She sipped the cool drink and relaxed for the first time all day. She thought about the table and grinned; she always thought of Star Trek synthesizers, and how the two were so similar. After a few minutes, Ginny came over to sit beside her. "Hey, how's life?" she asked. Kate smirked, "Could be worse. Could be raining." Ginny laughed, and replied, "Yeah, but it's almost time for snow, so that technically not true." Kate rolled her eyes. "It's a _figure of speech_, dork." Ginny was mock-offended for a second, but then asked the table for heated pumpkin juice with cinnamon. The two girls chatted for a while, before Kate decided to test the waters.

"I've noticed that there are some pretty hot boys here. D'you agree?" Ginny nodded, before asking, "Are you saying there were _no_ hot guys in America?" Kate grinned, "Most of the teens are really caught up with the media, and looking 'cool'. Some guys have really baggy pants that fall down their butts. Yeah, who wouldn't that?" she finished sarcastically. Ginny raised a single brow before agreeing. "That sounds beyond stupid. Blokes here do that too, though not to that extreme."

"The uniforms though, those help a lot," Kate mused. "Like, when they pull down their ties, and undo the top three buttons, and roll up their sleeves, and muss their hair a bit, they are… mmm…" The two girls stared off into space, both thinking of their crushes in that situation. "So," said Kate, coming out of her reverie, "who do you think would look best like that? Tell the truth, because I am totally unbiased, House-wise." Ginny blushed.

"Oh, I dunno, there are tons of good-looking blokes round here. Harry's not that bad, but my crush on him ended after my second year. Dean is—well, I've dated him—but he sort of… swings the other way now. Seamus is a lady's man, but he has great eyes. Ernie's overweight, but he could be kind of alright, I s'pose. Justin is beyond gay and into some cross-dressing thing." Ginny wrinkled her nose and Kate cracked up in laughter.

"Terry Boot is taken, but has a fine arse. Michael Corner, I've dated him too, and he cheated on me, the bastard. There's another few from Ravenclaw, but I forget them. Draco Malfoy is, well, he very attractive, in his dark, mysterious way." Ginny blushed a satisfying shade of pink before continuing, "Crabbe and Goyle would fit in with goblins and trolls. Zabini isn't really my type, and I firmly believe that he is Hermione's. He has nice arms, though. Theodore Nott is kind of shrimpy. Is that detailed enough?"

Kate finished writing "Nott-shrimpy" in her notepad before staring at the redhead. "That was great. My turn? Okay. Harry is too short, I only like guys taller than me. That rules out Nott, Corner, Ernie, and Seamus. I'm going to rule out Dean and Justin, too. Oh, and consider Crabbe and Goyle dead. That leaves Ron, Terry, Zabini, and Malfoy. Ditto to what you said for Zabini, and I'll let you tackle Malfoy. Oh, don't blush, it's alright. Terry has this Tarzan look about him that would be sexy for someone, but not me. That leaves Ron. Well, he, um," she blushed a shade that would have made a perfect lipstick. "He's quite handsome, in his way." Ginny smirked, "Uh _huh_, well I'll leave you to that, since he's coming this way." She walked off, smiling brightly at Ron as she passed him. He sat down on the famous sofa and got some pumpkin juice. "What's up?" he asked Kate. She thought fast before putting on a very serious expression. "Ronald, I have something really important to tell you." Ron set down his glass and gave his full attention to her. "I'm, well my entire family, we're all from… the future." Ron blinked once, his brow furrowed. She continued in a monotonous tone, "We were sent back in time, that's how I know so much about you." She looked at her lap, and pretended to wipe away a tear. Ron stared at her, "Really?"

She looked up, completely dry-eyed and grinning. "No, not really. I wouldn't give up my reason for knowing so _easily_."

Ron blinked slowly, before grinning in the same slow manner. "You think that's funny, huh? I'll show you funny!" He pounced on her and pinned her to the ground. He tickled her ruthlessly, attacking her sides. She screamed, before lapsing into loud giggles.

A small boy looked at his classmate, grinned evilly, and did the same to her. Soon, the entire House was tickling someone else, and the loud shrieks brought Professor McGonagall to see who was dying. Kate saw the dark green robes and poked Ron, looking at McGonagall pointedly. Although the woman was very strict-looking, Kate could see she was trying to hide a smile. She stood up quickly, ready to explain.

"Ron here was explaining to me the advantages of the _Furnuculus_ charm, but I was arguing that just tickling someone was just as effective. I was demonstrating, and it caught on. I apologize, Professor." She ducked her head, her hands clasped. Professor McGonagall sighed. "Ms. McGregor, see that it doesn't happen again. Just use _Furnuculus_." She walked out of the room quickly, and Kate thought she heard faint chuckles coming from behind the portrait. She turned back to the crowd, bowing to the applause. A couple first years starting tickling each other again, but the older kids knew when to stop.

Hermione walked over to Ron and Kate and pulled out a schedule. "Ron, you need to do your Potions essay; it's due tomorrow." Ron groaned and Kate patted him on back. "Kate, you need to finish your Astronomy essay."

Kate pouted. "But I did it already, see?" She held out the paper, and Hermione scanned over it. "Okay then, you should practice your Charms, and please remember your History facts." Kate stood up and saluted, "Yes, Professor Granger, SIR!" Hermione rolled her eyes and walked away. Kate grinned, casting an Engorging Charm on Ron's nose. Soon, he fell to the floor, his nose weighing him down, screaming at Kate to reverse the magic. Kate muttered the counter-charm and crossed her arms. "You have _no _fun whatsoever."

She ran through the list of spells she knew, reviewed some weird goblin names, and then headed upstairs. It had been a very long day.

She ran a hot bath, put some lavender oils and salts in it, and crawled in. She picked up the romance novel that lay next to the tub and entered the world of text. The story was of an American teenage girl, Elena, who ruled her school. A dark, mysterious boy comes in, and she is deeply intrigued. Stefan is a boy with a troubled past. He was born during the Italian Renaissance, and fell in love with a vampyress. The problem was that the vampyress was in love with both Stefan and his brother, Damon. Both brothers were marked vampires, and hated each other. Apparently Elena was a lot like Katherine, the vampyress, and both brothers wanted her.

Kate cast reheating charms on the bathwater. A trail of steam rose to the ceiling, where it lingered before disappearing through the gap above the door. Kate didn't notice, because she was completely focused on this novel. After a hundred and fifty pages, she got out and wrapped a robe around herself. She changed into her nightdress and curled up in her bed. Within minutes she was asleep.

The next few days passed by uneventfully. Kate mastered fourth year coursework, but continued to barely pass History of Magic. She talked to Draco, and he offered to tutor her through the dreadful subject. He also refused point blank to let Kate write "a mushy love-note". She finished the vampire novel, and the ending left her hanging. That ticked her off a little, but she managed to cope. Dumbledore The only trouble Kate was having so far was her matchmaking. There, it was anarchy.

Kate had written what she thought to be a brilliantly sensual love letter for Zabini, but Hermione refused to let it be sent. When Hermione read it; she froze, stuttered, and generally acted oddly. Kate grabbed the letter, misunderstanding her behaviour. She checked the letter for a problem.

Kate glanced at Hermione. "What's wrong with it?" Hermione blushed, "It's absolutely ridiculous! This is, this is…" She continued to splutter incoherently. "It's perfect for what you want. Maybe it's a bit much, but he'll be intrigued." Kate reasoned. Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but nodded resignedly. Kate grinned and jotted one more line. "Hermione, I need to see a sample of your handwriting." Hermione went to grab an essay. Kate muttered a spell, tapped her wand on the essay and then tapped her wand on the letter. Kate's scrawl morphed into Hermione's neat print. She took the parchment, rolled it, tied it, and headed to the Owlery.

* * *

Draco walked into the Slytherin Common Room and saw Zabini reading a letter with a very peculiar look on his face. "What's the matter Zabini, a love note?" Draco asked sarcastically. The brunette looked up at him with wide eyes and silently handed him the paper. 

_Dear Blaise,_

_I have tried to suppress my desires, but they are driving my heart to the ground. I need you desperately, and I am too cowardly to say what I must face-to-face. You light my days and mark my nights. My dreams are filled with your face, your body. My life would be pointless without you. Meet me at the Library at 7:00 on Thursday._

_Your Admirer_

Draco's mouth fell uncharacteristically open, and he looked from Zabini to the letter. "So, are you going?" he asked once he got his composure back. Zabini shrugged. "It depends on who it is. Any ideas?" The blonde smirked and sat down next to him. "Let's think. Who would _want_ to not like you, but not be able to control herself? Who would have such orderly handwriting? Who would meet you at the _Library_, of all places?" Blaise thought for a moment, before grinning broadly.

"What is today?"

"Tuesday."

"Perfect."

* * *

**AN: OMG I'm sorry it's been forever! SO many things are going on, I've barely had any time to write... Anyway, this one it short, but next one WILL be out sooner. I hope. Anyway, vote: Should Harry be gay or not? I neither hate nor love slash, but I do love a gay Harry... It's up to you guys! Review! At this current time, I have 31 reviews at 7 chappies... Wow... PLEASEY PLEASE review! Okay, so much begging I feel like a dog... and I'm ranting... Adios!**

**One more thing: I'd luv a beta. I'm supposed to have one, but she hasn't given me a chap since July, so my faith is a little "eh". Jennicula**


	9. Authors Note

Author's Note:

To those of you reading this, I am unbelievably sorry. I've been such a dork, not updating or anything. My writing style changed and I became disgusted with how poor this story was. I now love it because it's adorable. I was so odd back then. Anyway, I am leaving this much of the story up, but I am also revamping it! The mood, the sound, everything is slightly different. It's not as fun and bright as this older version, it's more mature and well-rounded.

Want a preview?

**Kate McGregor stuffed the last of her belongings into a suitcase and sat down on her bare bed, looking at her now-empty room. The faded curtains ruffled as a summer breeze blew in, the scent of grass tickling Kate's nostrils. She sighed before standing up and pulling her luggage down a flight of stairs to the foyer. Her parents patiently waited outside with the rest of their belongings so they could go to the airport.**

If you want, compare it to the old. Some of you (if there are any left) might like this better, some might want the spunky, fun story to be continued. For that, I again apologize, but I can't seem to replicate that old charm.

My love and hope, Jennicula


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